Curiosities for the extra curious:

  • Many land and sea turtles do cry, they secrete tears from salt glands near their eyes to get rid of excess salt.

  • Turtles can feel on the outside of their shell just like skin.

  • Turtles keep their shell for their entire life.

  • The term for drinking tears is lachryphagy.

  • Many butterflies do drink turtle tears when they need salt in addition to sugar to survive.

  • Turtles are often forced on long journeys. The common reasons are: 1) Not enough water
    2) Too much water 3) Destruction of habitat due to construction, drought and other.

  • Of the turtles that have been tracked, the longest traveling turtle was a Loggerhead named Yoshi that journeyed 23,000 miles in two years.

  • A Leatherback female sea turtle traveled 12,774 miles in 647 days (Indonesia to US).

  • A sea turtle (Tortoise) might travel 36,500 miles in a lifetime (100 years).

  • The snapping turtle travels three miles; the wood turtle travels four miles; the box turtle travels 1.5 miles.

  • Proboscis is the name for the hollow tongue that the butterfly uses for drinking tears.

  • Some butterflies do not drink tears as most of their diet is nectar.