New Species?

[Eliana]

Well, I told a few of my friends about this but I decided to post this here..... I believe I discovered a new species.... heres the story:
So me and my friend were walking in the rapids part of a pond near my house. we were looking in these things that are kind of like tide pools, when i saw a turtle! (or at least i think it was) so i picked it up. its body was about the size of my palm. it had a tail o_0 it was long and it was like a lizards tail....and strangely enough.....it was flexible! it could curl it up like a spiral next to it! and normally, if turtles see something coming towards it, they go in their shell. this one just closed its eyes. lol. Also it's head resembled that of a chamaeleon. and i couldnt see the usual shapes turtles have on their shells on it. it was just black. and its shell was kinda jagged (not sharp, though) and when i put it down on a rock, it ran so quickly back to the water...seriously faster then any turtle i ever saw.....
what do you guys think?

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Well, the best thing to do would be to take it somewhere so it can be examined, such as a museum of some sort, or maybe a laboratory. They'll be able to tell you if it's a new species - but the chances of that are incredibly slim... so don't get your hopes or anything.

If you can't find a laboratory, check a library and take out a book (or two... or three... or the whole series of nature books if you want to be certain) on similar species of your creature, since books are always helpful when people themselves cannot determine something.

There is also the internet as a final resort, post a picture of it on a scientific website, and see what other people have to say about it. This could take a while, as some people may have to gather some info on it about a similar (or the same if it has already been discovered).

Whichever one you choose should be able to help you some way or another.

 

[Eugine]

Ok. It would be cool, iif in fact their was a new species.

 

[ravenstorture]

Do what Mr. Cat Dog said. That would be the best thing possible to do. Like he said, the chances of it being a new species is very slim, especially in place where a lot of people are.

 

[Teara]

LOl, Eliana...I think you picked up a znapper XD
A znapping turtle haz a jagged zhell, tail, and they don't uzually have dezignz on their backz. I...erm...don't recomend picking one up again if you zee one, ezpecially if it'z big, thoze thingz will bite ^^;;
Try looking up a picture of one.

 

[Ryoutarou]

Ya, it's a snapper. Like Teara said dont pick them up, thoese things hurt like theres no tomarrow when they bite. Ther are allso a few that have jeyyfish like stingers but thoese are rare...once again dont pick thoese up becuse it hurt a lot needless to say I've been stung by thoese aswell...is it me or do I just have relly bad luck with sea animals?

 

[Eliana]

Nope. I know Snapping Turtles well, ive been around em for 2 years.....They are big, unlike this guy.....snappers are also brown....and this dudes tail was very long ^^

 

[Ryoutarou]

It was a stinging snapper turtle...dont know why it dident sting you...the one I found made sport of it

 

[Eliana]

I didnt see any stingers ^^;; XD

 

[Ryoutarou]

I didnt see any stingers ^^;; XD

It's the acuall tail. If it wants to it just opens up it's pores and bang!

 

[Teara]

The znapping turtlez we have around here come in quite a few zizez and are black. The tailz are alzo quite long zo it'z probably juzt a differant kind of znapper then you uzually zee ^^;;

They zting too? O.O I've zeen alot of them but i've never heard of one ztinging anyone...heh, now I definetly don't want to go zwimming in our pond XD

 

[Eliana]

No guys this thing is puny and i was touching the tail also ^^ XD

 

[Ryoutarou]

The znapping turtlez we have around here come in quite a few zizez and are black. The tailz are alzo quite long zo it'z probably juzt a differant kind of znapper then you uzually zee ^^;;

They zting too? O.O I've zeen alot of them but i've never heard of one ztinging anyone...heh, now I definetly don't want to go zwimming in our pond XD

The stinging ones are odd...they have a scaly tail but if it wants the scals move around and then it comes out.

 

[Eliana]

Didnt have scales as for as i could tell.....it was just a tail....XD

 

[Teara]

We get puny onez in the yard all the time.
Lol, you got lucky then ^^

There'z lotz of differant kindz of turtlez, if you really think it'z a new zpeciez you zhould look up the kindz of turtlez you have in your area. I'm zure you'll find it. 83

 

[Eliana]

Gah! your ruining my fame! XD it had the head of a lizard so i dunno what it was.....XD

 

[Blissey Trainer 8290]

O.o this sounds wierd... id go to a library or whatever mr catdog said, cause the ibrary id a big place of info... or just look around the internet.

 

[Eliana]

I have....not a single turtle matched this one....

 

[Blissey Trainer 8290]

then take a picture hwen/if you see it again... go back tomorrow, and take a camera(still or motion) and take it somewhere to see if it has yet been discovered... maybe school's science teacher... or like an animal place... a zoo, or an aquarium... like chicago's shediquarium... but other than that, i dont know

 

[Eliana]

I cant. XD. you see, me and my friend were stupid to let go of it. it raced back into the water. i do plan on asking my science teacher though^^