{"id":15499,"date":"2021-12-21T11:30:20","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T16:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildlifepreservation.ca\/blog\/?p=15499"},"modified":"2023-01-24T16:45:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T21:45:44","slug":"turtle-photo-retake-day-class-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildlifepreservation.ca\/fr\/blog\/turtle-photo-retake-day-class-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Turtle photo retake day – Class of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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Did you ever have an awkward school photo taken? Truthfully, all western painted turtle hatchling photos could be considered a bit awkward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turtles are born with their yolk sacs visible through the middle of their plastron (belly). We take their photo right away, so we can ID and track their development. When they\u2019ve grown to 30 grams and are ready for release, we can give them a microchip with a unique number to further identify them. But until they are large enough, we rely solely on their plastron photos to figure out who is who.<\/p>\n

Their yolk sac provides them with nutrition and hydration. They absorb their yolk sac after hatching. A few days after birth, they start eating on their own and their plastron slowly begins to close over the gap. Around December, we retake their photos. This makes their patterns clearer and makes it easier for us to identify them.<\/p>\n

A turtle’s pattern never changes throughout their lives, but it will become more complex and less defined \u2013 like stretching out a photo. Young turtles have crisper borders and less detail than older turtles. But the shape and unique features of their patterns always stay the same.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n