Muffett, Gertie & Wheezy

This one is for the kids.  Please share with them.  (Words & Photos by Robert B.) 

The Tale of Muffett, Gertie & Wheezy

©Robert C Burnham 

This is the tale of Muffett, Gertie & Wheezy

Some real good friends of mine

They have reptilian heads and honeycombed shells

And a little tail trailing behind

They are Galapagos Tortoises

Though most would just say turtle

You'll never see them in 100 yd dash

Or in a race jumping hurdles

Even though they may look small

They weigh close to five hundred pounds

And having such short, fat legs

That's a lot of weight to haul around.

And that is why they move so slow

But always enjoy each day

They take their time to relish

Eating, sleeping & play

Muffett is the oldest

And Gertie has the pretty eyes

Wheezy makes a funny noise

But she'll never tell a lie

They're happy in their home right here

And they like it when you visit

Yes they came from so far away

But now they live in Austin, Texas

GALAPAGOS TORTOISES 

Muffett, Gertie & Wheezy are known as Galapagos Tortoises because they come from the Galapagos Islands located 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador in the South Pacific.  Existing almost directly on the equator, the Galapagos lie on top of the most active volcanic regions on earth called the Nazca Plate.  This plate moves over a stationary area of intense heat towards South America at the rate of about two and one half inches a year.  This intense underlying heat is what builds these islands. 

Galapagos Tortoises can grow to be over a meter in length and weigh more than six hundred pounds and it is estimated that they live approximately 200 years!  They have very large shells made of bone, although the shells are not solid.  These bony shells are made up of honeycomb structures that contain small chambers of air.  This makes it possible for Muffett, Gertie, Wheezy and all their cousins to carry the weight of their shells.  The shell is attached to the animal's skeleton at the ribs, so a tortoise cannot 'walk out' of its shell like you might see them do in cartoons. 

The tortoise diet consists of cactus, grasses, leaves, vines and fruit.  One of their favorite foods is the poison apple which is highly poisonous to humans.

They are slow-moving, cold-blooded reptiles with an average speed of less than a quarter mile of an hour, however, when faced with a purpose such as moving towards water or their nesting grounds, these tortoises have been known to cover as much as eight miles in a couple of days.  They begin each day by basking in the early morning sun for a couple of hours, absorbing enough energy through their shells to sustain an active day of eight to nine hours. 

My tortoise friends are listed  as "vulnerable" which is one level above being pronounced 'endangered'.  As the human population of the Galapagos, now approximately 17,000, grows, the wild habitat of these creatures become more scarce; and many, like Muffett, Gertie and Wheezy are brought to live in zoos and other protected animal parks.