Lauren Radi, The Willow School
Somerset County
First Place, Somerset County, Wood Turtle (c) Lauren Radi
Wood Turtle
No, no, no, don’t step on me! Oh, it’s just you, a human. Hello there! I’m Woody the Wood Turtle. I want to tell you about myself, why I am endangered, and how you can help save me and my amazing family.
Some reasons I am so popular are I am very good-looking, friendly and small enough to be a pet. I also love fresh water which people think makes me ideal for a home pet. The reason I am so attractive is I have rich brown and gray dark lines and dots on my shell, and my legs and neck are an eye-catching orange and red. I forgot to mention that I am strong. My strength is in both my claws and in my jaw! My lifespan is amazing. I can live very long. One of my cousins lived to the age of 58.
My favorite foods include both plants and animals because I am an omnivore. I love strawberries, willow tree leaves and slugs, but my favorite is worms. Let me tell you about the exciting way I find food. I stomp my feet on the ground so earthworms think it is raining…when they come out to eat, my dinner is served!
I need protection for many reasons. I am very popular and humans like to take us from our natural habitat where we live and put us in pet stores for sale. We live near wooded streams and rivers fromCanadadown toVirginia. I live inNew Jersey. One problem is that it can take almost 18 years before we can breed. So, if humans take us from our natural habitat before we reach that age, we can’t have babies and increase the number of wood turtles. Next, the pollution of the water in our habitat is also making us nearly extinct. Lastly, I can be a favorite dinner for some of my neighbors, so I have to be careful too. The animals I rely try to stay away from include dogs, large-mouthed bass, raccoons, skunks and cats!
By now, I hope you have fallen love with me and are ready to get your friends together and help protect me and my extended family. You can save me! First, tell all your friends who want to purchase a turtle from a pet store to make sure the pet store can certify that the turtle did not come from the wild. If they can’t, DO NOT purchase the turtle! Second, remind all your friends when they are in the wild not to disturb my natural habitat because you could kill us or destroy our nests. Also if you see someone in the wild hurting our habitat, tell them to stop.
Now that you know about me and why I am endangered, please help! If you don’t help me, I could become extinct.
Written by: Lauren Radi
The Willow School,Gladstone
Teachers: Mrs. VanDette, Mrs. Coy, Mrs. Potter and Mr. Beil