Turtle Thursday: Pocket Monster

Silent Bob is a Dark Phased Diamondback Terrapin. And he's my pocket monster!

Spotlight: Thirty years ago yesterday, the Mexican oil company Pemex was drilling an oil well named Ixtoc 1 off the Gulf of Mexico when the drill accidentally penetrated an area of high pressure gas. This blowout released 140 million gallons of oil into the surrounding waters, resulting in one of the worst oil spills in history. Among the affected areas was a nesting site for Kemp's Ridley sea turtles. Although often considered protected by fortresses of bone and shell, sea turtles are actually very sensitive to pollutants. Being indiscriminate predators, they will hunt and feed in toxic conditions. Of particular concern is the effect of oil on eggs, hatchlings and juvenile turtles. The Mexican and US fisheries departments joined forces in a rescue and rehabilitation mission. Some 9,000 turtles and hatchlings were airlifted to protected lagoons and held there until water conditions had improved.