Study: Turtles Breathe Out Their ASS While Hibernating Through Winter

[matcom]

thanks DonG :)

<snip>

If the onset of winter and a need to sleep drives them, they'll look for a deep pond that won't completely freeze. At the bottom of the pond, they'll dig their clawed feet into muck where they hibernate for months, Griffin told the science class Wednesday.

Their heartbeat slows to just one beat per 15 minutes. Though they don't have gills, they do have sacs in their throat and anus that extract oxygen from the water flowing in and out of them.

"Basically they are breathing through their butts," she said.

That's one fact that students always seem to remember, Griffin later said with a smile.

That and the fact the male turtle will caress the face of the female as part of a mating ritual, a tidbit not lost on senior Caleb Robertson, 17.

The teen was surprised by the high mortality rate when he first began helping pick up dead turtles along the highway last year. He thinks the research is important.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2003/11/06/news/local/news02.txt

[Zuni]

1. That is just awful

I did not need to know this.

[Drifter]

2. Geeze, I thought you were talking about ...

Flo and Eddie, you know of the Turtles (ie Happy Together).

Cheers
Drifter

[ET Awful]

3. So does this mean Freepers are part turtle?

I mean breathing out your ass and talking out your ass are pretty similar :)

[kanrok]

4. They must be related to Republicans

Who talk out of their asses whilst governing.

[MUAD_DIB]

9. Damn!

Beat me to it.

Cheers!

[foxy]

5. Leave it to you to find stories on asses.

:spank:

[Loonman]

6. Bush breathes out his ass all the time

n/t

[ET Awful]

12. Nah he just whistles out it :)

n/t

[Best_man23]

7. I have to ask

Do you go looking for these stories or do you just have a knack of finding them?

[matcom]

8. this one is courtesy of DonG

he thought is "appropriate" that i post it :)

can't imagine why :shrug:

[papau]

10. And a Matcom post is a joy forever - but no mention of Will Pitt's turtle?

This explains a lot.

or not.

:-)

[Don_G]

15. Just Wanted To Be "Civil"

And let Matcom have first "crack" at it.

[xchrom]

11. i'm at a loss

for words... damn...

[peekaloo]

13. So if you ever had to resuscitate a turtle

you would have two options?

Mouth to mouth or mouth to butt?

:dunce:

[THUNDER HANDS]

14. i love turtles

cute story.

:)