Pssst! Wanna see a big ol' cooter?

Check this baby out:

What? You were expecting something else? Sorry, Googlers, this isn't one of those websites. We're referring here to the Florida cooter, Pseudemys floridana.

It's not the same one that J rescued from traffic on North Woodland Boulevard this morning as she headed to the Y for her Thursday workout. That's because after she brought it back home to show M, they were in such a rush to take the critter to its new digs at the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, they forgot to grab the camera. But this internet stand-in is about the same size and coloration as their "rescue reptile."

Fortunately, they remembered to grab me and let me ride along with them. Unfortunately, there was a sign at the entrance that said "NO DOGS," and I felt pretty nervous as we made the long drive in. It was beautiful back in there, though--very jungle-y looking--and I wish I could have seen more of the place. But when we got to the parking lot, there was another anti-dog sign as well as one that said "THESE PREMISES ARE MONITORED BY SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS."

So I had to stay in the car while J carried Mr. Turtle to a nearby pond and turned him loose. He headed straight for the water, so as they say at the funeral home, he's in a better place now. While J made the release, M sat in the car with me, and we tried not to look too obvious to any cameras that might be pointed our way. (M said that if a wildlife officer tracked us down with an incriminating picture, he'd claim I was his mother-in-law.)