Animals

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Motherhood Is Messy

Turtles store water in a special bladder. It is not urine. Females use it when laying eggs. Both males & females will release it in defensive behavior to make a predator leave them alone. It has a strong odor and does not taste good. Here is it used to turn soil into mud that is easy to dig and easy to cover up afterwards.
Cottonwood Park, Richardson
Female Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Trachemys scripta elegans red eared slider water turtle turtle aquatic turtle sliders reptile female turtle female slider female red eared slider close up muddy nest turtle nest laying eggs richardson texas cottonwood park pollinator garden old female ears faded to yellow digging