Question 1: This yellow-spotted river turtle is hanging with a butterfly in which South American river basin?
A The Amazon
B The Galápagos
C South Mississippi
Specifically, our be-shelled buddy lives in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The region is considered one of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems—and apparently, it’s a place where butterflies will swarm a turtle.
Correct Answer: The Amazon
Question 2: What is that butterfly licking off the turtle’s face?
A Salt
B Frosting from the Turtle Day cake
C Pollen
Some butterflies don’t eat at all. Some sip nectar from flowers. And others, like the Julia butterfly in this photo, lap up salts and other mineral compounds, even if that means alighting on a turtle’s face to lick the salty deposits on the reptile’s skin.
Correct Answer: Salt
Question 3: What differentiates turtles from tortoises?
A Size
B Habitat
C Teeth
Tortoises are strictly land dwellers, thriving in diverse habitats from deserts to tropical forests. Unlike turtles, which come ashore mainly to lay eggs, tortoises interact with water only for drinking or occasional bathing. However, not all land turtles qualify as tortoises—box turtles and wood turtles were once mistakenly classified as such, though they are now recognized separately.
Correct Answer: Habitat