AquaSnacks

Did you know?

Turtles shed their skin and their shell as they grow. The scales or ‘scutes’ peel off one at a time as new scutes form below.

Eastern Long Neck turtles also change colour as they grow. Juveniles are born with a black/blue coloured shell or ‘carapace’ with vibrant orange spots on their underside or ‘plastron’. Eventually the shell will change to a brown shade and the spots turn to a light yellow.

The reason for this colour change is not entirely known but is assumed that the baby turtles are more brightly coloured as a defence while their shell is still not a sufficient size or density to offer much protection. In nature, brighter colours can often be a deterrent to predators as they may indicate that the animal is venomous or poisonous if eaten.

As adults their colours are more geared towards camouflage as their best defence is to remain hidden when predators are nearby.

Did you know? 😅