A surprise in the garden

When a woman moved into a new house in Campbellsville, Kentucky, she found an unexpected guest: an Eastern box turtle with a bright blue shell. Box turtles are normally brown, yellow and orange. So what happened?

Not a new species, just paint

A neighbor explained that a previous owner of the house used to paint the turtles living around the property. When wildlife carers took the turtle in for a check-up, they found a layer of red paint under the blue. She had been painted more than once.

Why painting a turtle is a bad idea

  • A turtle's shell is part of its skeleton. It is alive and grows with the animal.
  • Its natural colors are camouflage: they help it disappear among leaves and soil. A bright blue shell makes it easy to spot for predators.

The good news: the turtle is healthy. Her carers are removing the paint a little at a time, soaking her in warm water and gently scrubbing with a soft toothbrush. Because she lost her camouflage, she will stay safe at the wildlife center instead of going back into the wild.

Did you know a turtle's shell was part of its body?

Source: Popular Science