Reptiles with a peculiar appearance, alluding to mythical creatures, turtles come to us from the depths of geological history. They have existed on earth for some 200 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs. Although extremely slow-moving, they are an exceptionally successful life form. They survived the enormous environmental changes that brought about the end of the reign of the great reptiles, and persist on to our days.

In fairy tales and folk myths, they always symbolize patience, perseverance, kindness, and the wisdom they carry because they live for many years. The life span of a turtle is 40 to 130 years.

At GNO Park, there are turtles among the shrubs, and we may often encounter them on the pathways as they move from one place to another.

Don’t be surprised if you see a turtle running! This is the fast-paced species Testudo hermanni, also known as Hermann’s tortoise. It has a different tail than the slower Greek tortoise (Testudo Graeca).

In the Park, turtles feed on olives and shoots from the bushes. Their favorite delicacy, however, is the lettuce grown in the Vegetable Garden.

How long do you think it would take a turtle to cross the entire Park?

Our interaction with turtles • We’d best not take home with us the turtles we encounter in the wild. Even small hatchlings, however cute, are not in need of “rescue”; they are perfectly capable of surviving on their own from the moment of hatching.

• We don’t damage their shell in any way; a turtle’s shell is living tissue and may be injured, bleed and hurt. Its healing, if at all possible, is extremely slow, requiring more than six months.

• We don’t turn turtles upside down.

• We don’t bother them when they are in hibernation.

• We don’t attempt to feed the turtles.

* Elisavet Kaleridou – veterinarian AUTH