No, not a Crocodile or alligator and definitely not a fish. but what do you think this is?
Cry for this world, as our turtle populations are endangered and becoming extinct!
I had to go and do some research to verify what I was told about this animal and I was really surprised with my findings.
But let me not give the game away here, as I first want to show you the mountain dam where I took the photos!
Come and have a look!
Here you can see the dam and it is ideally placed on a high foothill of the mountain!
What? A Snapper Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) in a dam right here in South Africa?
There were two of them and I decided to focus on the one that was coming my way!
Leisurely this guy cruised along and he must have seen me at a distance!
He was slowly approaching and stopped at my left hand side!
But it was the other one that surprised me, as it came ever closer, almost directly at me!
And finally, it decided to have a look at me!
Some more views of the dam and its surrounds!
This is the mountain range at the east (back end) of the dam!
Photos are a bit dark as it was very cloudy!
Here you can see the same mountain range running south towards the ocean!
Finally, this is where the mountain range ends in the sea!
Now you can only shake your head in alarm reading this below!
"Alarmingly, seven species of turtles have gone extinct in recent history, and of the remaining 360 species, more than half are imperiled, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and ongoing assessment work".
"While turtles have evolved to keep a few steps ahead of the extinction risks posed by predators, severe weather and disease for 225 million years, humans have proven to be their most profound threat".
"Humans have altered, destroyed and polluted tortoise and freshwater turtle habitat and spread diseases that threaten its populations. Even more directly, people have demolished tortoise and turtle populations by collecting them for food, pets and/or medicinal use–both legally and illegally".
Source
Yes, it was our first time to see them and I wonder for how long they will last. Once all of the turtles are gone, our fresh water will become poison to drink, as there will be no turtles to keep the water clean and healthy.
And That's All Friends!
Note: All photos are my own and taken with a Canon Powershot SX60HS camera.
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