By Cindy Walker Burton

Move over Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael! You Teenage Mutant Turtles are history. There’s a new Testudines on the half shell in town. His name is Chrys. Turtle power!

Just who is Chrys – Chrysemys Picta to be exact? He’s a Midland painted turtle (MPT) that I rescued from the middle of the road. He was just sitting there, tucked away inside his 6-inch shell, waiting to be the next turtle tragedy crushed by a vehicle’s tire. But not on my watch!

I donned my winter gloves, because I recalled from my experiences of rescuing turtles in Florida that these ancient reptiles carry bacteria including dreaded salmonella. The moment I touched his shell, Chrys’ striped head emerged, he hissed, and then he began crawling at an impressive pace across the road (turtle power!). Upon reaching the grass, he managed to flip over onto his back. Clumsy? Klutzy? Or was Chrys intentionally showing off the gorgeous, unique red design decorating his plastron (tummy)?

I had saved Chrys from being squashed into instant turtle soup, and I wanted to protect him from becoming golf cart salad. I knew the perfect 5 star turtle spa where he could hang out with his species, enjoy an endless buffet, partake in unlimited swimming and basking in the sun, and sleep like a turtle rock star submerged in cold gooey mud. Rock Creek had a V.I.T. (Very Important Turtle) reservation just waiting for Chrys! “Come on down, Chris Picta! You’ve won an all expense paid luxury spa get away to Rock Creek, the undisputed reptile playground of Northwest Missouri.”

I gently flipped over struggling Chrys, while being “thanked” with menacing hisses and flailing claws like tiny windmills! I carefully carried him to Rock Creek. After flashing his Elite Aquatic Member card to the spa agent, he crawled down the bank and disappeared with an expert underwater dive. Turtle power!

Turtle enthusiasts, dig these MPT facts: They existed 15 million years ago. Warmer temps produce females and cooler temps produce males. They can breathe through their anus while submerged under ice (warning to humans: do not attempt this stunt anywhere at any time). Their shell is made of bone covered with keratin scutes (scales) and it can feel touch, pressure, and pain. They can live up to 55 years in the wild. They don’t have teeth or vocal chords. Turtle power!

Chrys Picta impressed me with his exquisite naturally-tattooed tummy, his determination, and fighting spirit. God took the time to put beauty, resolve, and tenacity into a Midland painted turtle. Rest assured and blessed assured, He put those qualities (and so many more!) into YOU. All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all. God power.