Posted on 07/08/2009 4:18:39 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK – A runway at New York City's Kennedy Airport was shut down Wednesday morning after 78 turtles emerged from the bay and crawled onto the tarmac.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says grounds crews rounded up the wayward reptiles in about 35 minutes and deposited them back in the water, further from airport property.
The shutdown disrupted flight schedules, though, with delays climbing to nearly 1 1/2 hours.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Watch out. It could be a dry run.
Did they have laser beams on their heads?
According to the Port Authority, the turtles measured about 8 inches long and weighed 2 to 3 pounds.
Turtle 59er clear to taxi to 27 right.
Gee, I thought the saying “a herd of turtles’, was some kind of joke.
Reminds me of an old MAD Magazine cartoon - "What You Heard, and What It Really Is":
What You Heard:
--- thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump ---
What It Was:
A triple column of turtles crossing the road
, these turtles exhibit an attempt to evolve into flying creatures as the try to escape the man made global warming of New York by catching flights to more socialist countries where global warming is taken more seriously
The article identifies the turtles as Diamondback Terrapins, about eight inches long and two or three pounds. Two weeks ago I was driving home and had to swerve to avoid a snapping turtle. He was hugh and it could have been series if I hit him.
-PJ
On a serious note, the turtles are leaving one body of water in search of another.
Possible reasons:
1) No food, too many turtles.
2) Water sucks. Need clean water.
3) The turtles are GW alarmists, and wanted to stop air traffic to reduce CO2 emissions.
What You Heard:
--- THUMP ... CLANG ... SPLAT
What It Was:
You hit a deer, it bounced off a road sign, then pounded to the ground
What You Heard:
--- POP ... sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ---
What It Was: You ran over a snake ... lengthwise
Brings back memories for me.
I hit a turtle in a Lear 35 landing at Hilton Head SC in June of 1990. I just clipped him with the left main gear and he shot up and tagged the underside of the wing, little bugger did almost $30,000 in sheet metal, paint damage including the required inspection related fees.
Scared the hell out of me, thought for sure I’d lost a tire.
lol, that was their quickest getaway attempt yet.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't turtles amphibians, and tortoises reptiles?
Tangentially related: In 2005 or so, I took a drive up to Antietam, for their 'Artillery Hell' weekend. I saw a very large turtle(?) cross the road in front of me at a speed I never would have believed, if I hadn't seen it.
I thought the Turtles broke up in the 70s.
Being the kindhearted person that I am, I would always stop and put a crossing turtle off the road, so that some nitwit didn't come along and play kamikaze, as some are wont to do.
(Rednecks and "hold muh beer" types, not the turtles.)
Anyhow, I would occasionally come back along the same route and there would invariably be more turtles crossing.
It took me quite a while before I realized that I was most likely helping the same turtles back and forth across the road, especially after I stopped, got out of the truck, placed a turtle on the shoulder of the road, and as I drove off, watched the damn thing turn around and proceed back into the road.
After that, I would just play crossing guard for them...sitting in the truck in the roadway, guarding them from what little traffic was on the rural back roads.
Needless to say, I did have a very boring job.
Rewarding, but boring.
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