Free Republic

The archeological remains of a 19th century hospital and cemetery have been found on a submerged island near Garden Key, the second-largest island in the Dry Tortugas National Park near Key West, Florida. The hospital served as a 19th century quarantine and cemetery for yellow fever patients between 1890 and 1900, according to the National Parks Service. Historical records indicate that dozens of people, mostly U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson, may have been buried at the cemetery, according to the NPS. Dozens of people were interred in the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery -- most of them were military members...

Archeologists have found the remains of a 19th century quarantine hospital and cemetery on a submerged island in Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park in the Gulf of Mexico. While only one grave has been identified, historical records indicate dozens of people — mostly U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson — may have been buried at the site in waters west of Key West, Florida, park officials said in a news release Monday. A group that included park cultural resources staff, the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center, the Southeast Archeological Center, and a University of Miami graduate student, made the...

EAST PALESTINE, OH — In a bizarre development, turtles around Ohio have reportedly been spotted hanging around pizza parlors and practicing a wide variety of martial arts. "I'm telling you, the turtle could talk," said local woman Alisha Hill, who claimed to have seen a turtle emerge from the sewer. "He asked me which way to the pizza parlor, then ran away doing random front-flips. I know what I saw!" "I'm pretty sure he even shouted, 'Cowabunga!'" Though the mysterious turtle sightings were initially dismissed as a hoax, dozens of eyewitnesses have come forward with similar stories. "Our pizza joint...

Using a rapid DNA testing toolkit developed by FIU researchers, Colombian officials stopped an illegal shipment of 2,200 Matamata turtles and returned them to the Orinoco river basin. Diego Cardeñosa, FIU postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Environment at the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, worked with a collaborative team of Colombian scientists and authorities at the International Airport Alfredo Vásquez Cobo in Leticia, Colombia to test the shipment of freshwater turtles. The DNA testing toolkit developed by Cardeñosa and FIU marine scientist Demian Chapman is fast, portable, easy to use and highly accurate in identifying species. Matamata turtles...

The deadly winter storm that swept across Texas and parts of the South knocked out power and water for millions. It also created a catastrophe for animals statewide — including for sea turtles prone to freezing in frigid waters. ...“It was like an apocalypse of turtles littered on the beach,” Bellamy told The Washington Post in a phone interview Thursday. More than 800 turtles have since been plucked from Laguna Madre by a ragtag group of about 50 Navy pilots and flight students, military spouses, family members and military retirees, said Biji Pandisseril, the Navy installation’s environmental manager. More turtles...

U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak resigned his position Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. In October 2017, Pak was sworn into the office. He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney from 2002 to 2008 and in the Georgia General Assembly as a state representative from January 2011 to January 2017. Pak’s office offered no further comment about the resignation.

Stretching for miles across the horizon, a vast armada of Chinese fishing boats trawl the pristine waters close to the Galapagos Islands. Ostensibly fishing squid, the real target for the 265-strong fleet are sharks to serve the appetite for expensive fin soup, costing up to £350 a bowl, sold in markets across China and Hong Kong. Night and day, the vessels – many the size of a football pitch – ransack the seabed, scooping up not only whale and hammerhead sharks but other species including turtles and birds.

**SNIP** But Wyneken said that for the past few years, especially since scorching summers of 2015 and 2016, she hasn’t seen a significant difference in the sex ratios of the species in South Florida: It’s girls, girls and more girls, in every nest. And things are getting worse. July was the hottest month ever recorded in the world, coming in slightly higher than the previous record, which was July 2016, according to data from the World Meteorological Organization and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. There were wildfires in the Arctic, a huge ice melt event in Greenland and 90-degree weather...

Thomas Devaney Lane, 61, was arrested for causing a disturbance while threatening to "destroy everyone" with his army of turtles. Lane first started causing trouble at various establishments in Indiatlantic. At least seven calls to 911 were made about Lane's behavior, WKMG reports. Police later apprehended Lane and escorted him to department headquarters, where he began yelling at the dispatcher and pounding on the walls and glass. After leaving the police department, Lane went to a nearby 7-Eleven. It was there that Lane harrassed employees and even called 911, saying “I need to leave now or you will all be...

The rock carvings -- known as petroglyphs -- have been discovered in their thousands atop hillocks in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra. Mostly discovered in the Ratnagiri and Rajapur areas, a majority of the images etched on the rocky, flat hilltops remained unnoticed for thousands of years... animals, birds, human figures and geometrical designs are all depicted. The way the petroglyphs have been drawn, and their similarity to those found in other parts of the world, have led experts to believe that they were created in prehistoric times and are possibly among the oldest ever discovered. "Our first deduction...

Researchers at the University of Kent say their groundbreaking studies unlock one of the greatest mysteries about the prehistoric monsters – why they came in such varied sizes and shapes. It is also said the team’s work will explain how dinosaurs were able to be the most dominant species on Earth for nearly 200 million years. Professor Darren Griffin, who led the research, said they were able to map out the creatures’ genetic code by studying the DNA of their closest living relatives, turtles and birds. It is believed that dinosaurs were so varied in their appearances because they had...

Alarmist scientists have found a terrifying new ‘ climate change’ threat: mutant transgender turtles. Their study, titled Environmental Warming and Feminization of One of the Largest Sea Turtle Populations in the World, warns that global warming could turn the world’s sea turtle populations female, possibly leading to their extinction. The study authors, from NOAA’s Marine Mammal and Turtle division in La Jolla, California, analyzed sea turtle populations on beaches at the northern and southern ends of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

RUSH: It’s November 1, folks. That means, among many other things, I get to turn on my turtle lights! It’s sadly what they have been called now. It’s just the outdoor landscaping lights. We have to keep them off eight months a year so as not to distract sea turtles hatching from their eggs on the beach. But four months a year, local authorities graciously allow us to turn on our outside lights. I look forward to November 1 every year. And it’ll probably be three months, not long from now, they’ll cut it down, and then they’ll finally say,...

The fatal accident was reported about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Royal Palm Avenue and Sail Drive in Indian Harbour Beach. Brevard County Fire Rescue crews and investigators were called to the beachside town after the body of David Kervin, 51, was found in the roadway near the motorized bike. “He apparently suffered a head injury and was already deceased when we arrived,” said Don Walker, spokesman for Brevard County Fire Rescue. “It appeared he hit the turtle. He may have also been hit by another vehicle while lying injured." Brevard deputies later said there was no evidence...

Hope you enjoy. ”It Ain’t Me Babe”

‘Elenore, gee I think you're swell / And you really do me well / You're my pride and joy, et cetera’ Hope you enjoy. ”Elenore ”

The U.S. Marine Corps plans to spend $50 million moving some 1,100 turtles from its training base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., or about $45,454 each. The program includes a 30-year assessment of their efforts to monitor the desert tortoises that are listed as threatened under federal law.According to Marine Corps Times, the tortoises live on a section of the base that is to be used for training. The newspaper noted that the cost is half the price if an F-35B vertical takeoff jet.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - A Canadian man caught at a border crossing with 51 turtles taped to his body pleaded guilty Tuesday to smuggling or attempting to smuggle more than 1,000 of the reptiles out of southeastern Michigan. Kai Xu, 27, would order turtles online and travel to the U.S. to pick them up and then ship them to China or return with them to Ontario, Canada. He pleaded guilty to six crimes in federal court in Ann Arbor and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

FB page, but no registration required

Kim Jong-Un said the manager was a 'defeatist' and had him put to death He had been offering field guidance to managers at a terrapin farm The dictator was angered by their inability to breed any lobsters North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has ruthlessly executed a 'defeatist' terrapin farm owner after reacting furiously to the farm on a tour in May. Following the embarrassing tour, Kim reportedly lashed out at the owner, promising 'grave consequences' for not producing any lobsters. According to Daily NK, the dictator was enraged by the farm not keeping the tanks clean and allowing several baby...