Close Encounter with a Pancake Turtle

The weather has not been very well in the Philippines. There had been recent chain of storms that resulted in severe flooding in several areas of the Metropolis. The storms amplify the effect of the South West Monsoon (locally known as "Habagat"). This results in heavier rains and stronger than usual winds.

Classes have been suspended in several areas of Luzon. And, worse, some provinces did not hold classes for several days due to the heavy rains and gusty winds.

As for me, I had a close encounter with a pancake turtle. The flooding must have displaced this animal and it seemed to have lost its bearings.

Unlike typical turtles, pancake turtles have soft, flexible carapace. Since its carapace is not as heavy as its brothers, they move quite fast. And fast this turtle was! I snapped several pictures of it trying to find its way home.

The turtle was quite in a hurry so I took hurried pictures. Some of them blurred due to the rain, and due to the quick movement of the turtle.

Another blurred one..

One of my boys was with me during this encounter and he told me that the turtle was a pancake turtle. Out of curiosity I touched the carapace of the turtle and indeed it was quite soft, and as it moved (or even ran) the carapace was flexing with its effort.

The turtle eventually went its way and was never heard of again. I hope it survived the journey home.

(pictures are mine, all rights reserved)

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