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Snakes and Frogs and Their Relatives 



THE GIANT TORTOISES OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 



In contrast to the six-inch painted turtle, the giant tortoise reaches a length of 

 four feet and weighs as much as five hundred pounds. It was once a favorite source 

 of meat for Pacific whalers that touched at the islands off Ecuador. Though these 

 giant tortoises may live to well over a hundred years in the natural state, they 

 have been subjected to relentless extermination by man. 



to accept food from your fingers. Tender vegetables, berries, 

 insects, and chopped meat form an acceptable diet. 



Another turtle that you can tame with very satisfactory results 

 is the spotted turtle, found in many ponds and marshy streams. 

 Its black upper shell is decorated with numerous spots, whence 

 its name. The spotted turtle enjoys perching on a log for long 

 stretches of time, but its feeding is done under water. 



You may recognize another pond turtle of ten called the painted 

 terrapin by the red mottled border of its shell. This is a good 

 aquarium pet but it is much too aggressive to be kept with other 

 creatures. 



Snapping turtles, so intriguing as babies, may attain a weight 

 of forty pounds as adults, with a shell fourteen inches long. Be 

 on the watch for them in slow-running streams, ponds, or marshes. 



The "alligator snapper" of the South sometimes weighs a 

 hundred pounds. 



