Friday, November 14, 2008

The tortoise, minus the hare

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Hungry Tortoise heading your way.


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I love his pink tongue!


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Maybe these two are fighting over the same patch of grass? Did you know tortoises fight? I didn’t, I just thought they rolled with the flow.


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This one is my favorite in the series. He looks like he’s ready to race that rabbit.


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I also never knew turtles lifted that high to walk. I guess I thought they just slid their shells along, or maybe I never really thought enough about them.


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And another fight breaks out.





Camera Critters

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32 comments:

  1. Awesome close up shots. I think that is really cool that you can even see his tongue in one of the pics. I really want your camera and lens. LOL

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  2. and i never thought they fight, too!!!... maybe because i think they move too slow to be able to give that unexpected "punch" or that "at the heat of the moment kick" :)... in any case, i don't want to be caught in the middle of two angry tortoise --- those shells and skin look tough and rough!... these are great shots for "what you don't know about tortoise" kind of show... and my favorite is that "ready to race" look... it looks really determined:)

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  3. Oh he is such a handsome chap! Or perhaps it is just your photographic skills??? Love that tongue getting into the grass! Cute!!!

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  4. Great shots! That second one with the tongue looks like he's drunk and passed out :-)

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  5. what wonderful closeups! love this series. i didn't realize they grazed....and i guess that's something i never thought about. lol he does look like he's ready to race.

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  6. You have some great pictures here. I wonder whether they were they both males-if one was a female butting is part of mating and can be quite vicious. My male tortoise has, in the past, made a hole in the shell of one of the females. He can be very persistent!

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  7. What fantastic shots Lisa!! Your favorite is my favorite too, he looks so cute in that one! The thing that always amazes me about turtles - they can cruise along really fast when they want to!

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  8. Once again, wonderful photos. I can actually get a sense of motion, which is rather ironic because I've never seen tortoises move very fast. That brings me to the "fight" scene: I let out an audible chuckle at the thought of two big, hard-shelled, bulky creatures going at each other. But I'm sure they have spats like any others. You captured this action in one great shot! That's the beauty of still photography -- one photo can stir the imagination.

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  9. Are you a turtle? This is a very elite club and if you know the correct answer to that question, I'll know you are a turtle. If not, there are four questions for you to answer that will quality you to become a member. Wanna play? Oh, and as usual exquisite photos.

    As for the comment you left at The Asylum this morning...Byte Mee.

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  10. These are great shots....and no I didn't know they would fight. It is amazing the facts we pick up from blogging.

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  11. Are you sure they weren't smooching as opposed to fighting? LoL.

    I have two up this week:

    http://www.twobarkingdogs.wordpress.com
    and
    http://www.onevintagephoto.wordpress.com

    And! Cast your vote for Thanksgiving Dinner!

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  12. Aw! Sulcatas!!! I have one! They can be fun to watch sometimes. Mine comes when I call her and likes to be petted on the head. Very nice pictures.

    Sorry I've been a stranger lately. Go over to my blog when you get a chance. i have something for you!

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  13. They just seem to be so uncomfortable in that shell!

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  14. They always look bad tempered to me. Great series of shots.

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  15. prehistoric.
    funny how much it looks like a snake's head when it is eating.

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  16. What a nice looking tortoise! I love the 3rd to last photo. Great captures!

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  17. That's a wonderful series. That tongue is amazing! And so is the battle!

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  18. You are wonderful with your camera. Superb shots. I never could imagine they look like this so close.

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  19. These are amazing photos! I feel as though I were there with the turtles, not here looking at pics. Wow! And the geese before that, and the kangaroo and ....

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  20. What awesome photos! I like that little pink tongue too.

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  21. what a great set of photos, i have never seen one this close before, looks like a coat of armor for sure.

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  22. Great shots, they are some strange and beautiful creatures.

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  23. Awww...what a handsome fellow! I love the shots of him with grass on his face...someone forgot to use their napkin at dinner, didn't they?

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  24. wow, look at them fight! they are such big creatures too! great photos.

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  25. You've really captured it, what great SMV, like an armored truck in slo mo.

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  26. Looking at these fascinating photos of the tortoises makes me remember the two desert tortoises that lived with us in the backyard of our first home … Plato & Aristotle. I swear they each had distinct personalities and I was saddened when the yard of our ‘beach place’ wasn’t big enough for them. We donated them to a tortoise and turtle group in 1982, but I suspect both are thriving even now because they live such a long time.
    Hugs and blessings,

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  27. Hi Lisa, love this series. I would pick the same fave as you. For years we had a tortoise and a rabbit, among our menagerie. Now, just two dogs, but we're old two dogs are enough.

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  28. I am sure I did not know they fought, either. They are beautiful creatures. The pictures are superb. I love the ones where the tortoise is getting a big bite of grass.

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  29. They are interesting looking creatures and I noticed the little pink tongue right away.

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