Turtles and Tortoises

Hawksbill Turtle Undersea near Praslin, Seychelles

Hawksbill Turtle Hatchling Making His Way to the Ocean

We have been captivated by the varieties, sizes, and long life expectancy of various turtles and tortoises in Mauritius and Seychelles.  We've visited them in Seychelles islands, on Rodrigues Island, and in Mauritius just about a mile from our house.  Fortunately, they are in protected preserves where the operators are working on conservation and re-population of these beautiful animals.  We've learned that tortoises live on land, and turtles in water. That probably doesn't make us smarter than a 5th grader, but we are doing this life-long learning thing . . .   and we are getting excited to see the Galapagos Island tortoises and turtles, when we move to Ecuador in just 16 months!

Aldabra Tortoises on the Move

Tortoise on a special reserve on Rodrigues Island

Five year olds like Shelly

These guys live to be well over 100 years old!