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(photo Source: Internet) did you ever see colorful paint turtles when you were a child? At that time, there were always businessmen on the roadside who painted tortoise shells with all kinds of paints and patterns to attract children.

People who have bought such colorful little turtles may know that such little turtles are not easy to feed and may die soon.

Have you ever seen this kind of colored turtle? | at that time, in order to persuade people to buy, merchants often claimed that the paint they used was not poisonous and that the shell was so thick that the tortoise would not be affected, but this was not the case.

Painting turtles will really kill them.

Don't buy paint turtles. | wildlifecenter.org even if the merchant claims that the paint applied to the tortoise is not corrosive, we all know that the paint is toxic and contains many volatile organic compounds, including aldehydes, benzene, toluene and methane. Inhaling these compounds will not only cause dizziness and tears in the short term, but also damage the lungs and even nervous system diseases in the long term.

The Environmental Protection Agency has also warned people that toxic chemical gases and fumes may be emitted even if the paint buckets at home are not opened or used up. The same is true for small turtles, whose paint produces volatile substances that can also damage their respiratory system and, more seriously, can be directly fatal.

Paint may corrode the shell or contain volatile compounds. Wildlifecenter.org in addition to being toxic, the paint applied to the shell actually hinders the growth of turtles.

Turtles' thick shells are like armor, but they are not just protective shells, but part of animal organs. They continue to grow and absorb energy from the outside world.

Like humans, turtles need more sun. The study found that turtles exposed to strong ultraviolet rays had higher levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for the bone development of turtles, and at the same time, it has been found that turtles with more vitamin D recover faster when they develop a tumor disease.

Comparison of vitamin content between non-sunbathing turtles and sunbathing turtles (black bar). Reference 2 and putting thick paint on the tortoise means that it is no longer difficult for turtles to absorb nutrients by basking in the sun. Such turtles are often very fragile, even if they are fed, they may develop malformations and eventually die slowly and painfully.

In addition, the shell of the tortoise is also responsible for helping to breathe. Because the tortoise shell is too hard and thick for the lungs to stretch freely, if you want to breathe in such a shell, you need some special body structure to help the lungs expand and contract.

When you move your hands and feet, you are actually breathing. | Giphy a group of paleontologists at the University of Zurich learned the secret of turtle breathing from an ancestor of sea turtles. At that time, the ancestors of turtles had not yet evolved a shell as thick as it is now, but their hard back bones also limited the free movement of organs in the chest. The researchers found that the ancestors of turtles already had a muscle that could help breathe.

These muscles are connected to other organs in the body, and when the tortoise needs to breathe with its lungs, the muscles push the organs to squeeze the air bag under the shell to help the lungs breathe. Therefore, the turtles walking around and stretching their necks are actually compressing the air bags under the shell to assist in breathing. Sometimes, even if the tortoise is sleeping, its body is twitching, which is actually a way to breathe.

The internal organs assist the lungs to breathe. | Ref. 4 in short, both the shell itself and the organs connected to the shell are of great significance to the growth and survival of the tortoise. But putting on paint will do them more harm than good. The color of the tortoise shell itself is their protective color in nature, and if they are painted with eye-catching color, it will be difficult for them to protect themselves.

After encountering this kind of paint turtle, animal conservationists often need to wash it off with other organic solvents, or even scrape it off directly. The process is not only difficult, but also puts pressure on the tortoise. Some animal conservationists say: this unnecessary thing could have been avoided in the first place.

The paint on the tortoise shell is not easily brushed off. | Giphy and the color chicks sold by the roadside in childhood are in fact the same way. The pigments used in dyeing are toxic to chickens and people. They are not only impossible to raise, but also pose a threat to our own health.

Colored chicks are actually very difficult to feed. | in addition, the Brazilian tortoise that is usually painted is actually one of the alien invasive species, which may also cause damage to the natural environment if released.

…… In short, do not buy paint turtles!

Reference:

[1] https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality#Sources

[2] Victoria E. Garefino, Sarah L. Milton.Influence of Sunlight on Vitamin D and Health Status in Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtles with Fibropapillomatosis. Animals, 2022; 12 (4): 488DOI: 10.3390/ani12040488

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/09/endangered-tortoise-shells-painted-florida-wildlife

[4] Lyson, Tyler R., et al. "Origin of the unique ventilatory apparatus of turtles." Nature Communications 5.1 (2014): 1-11.

This article is from the official Wechat account: take Science Home (ID:steamforkids), written by: Skin, revision: a Xian

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