Family photos

I've just got around to downloading these photos from my camera. I took these just after coming back to Japan.

Remember when I posted pictures of the turtles in the river? Well, while I was away, a couple of them got busy and produced a baby turtle. Just one, that I've seen. Here is a picture of the proud mother with her baby.



As I was watching them, the proud father made his appearance. "Don't forget me!" he said. "I'm a part of this family, too! I had something to do with this!" (I am trying to imagine turtle sex, and failing, but I don't think it can be very FAST. This can only be good news for the females.)

He climbed up onto the rock, shoving his wife out of the way.



Then the whole family posed for me to take a couple of pictures. At least I suppose they were posing, because when I cycled around to the other side of the river to take a profile shot they didn't move. They were holding their pose. Wasn't that considerate of them?



Don't they have lovely undersides? They look like upside-down ladybirds. (That's ladybugs to you Americans.)

Here is the profile shot. Why do you think they hold their heads up like baby birds? Do they think a Great Turtle in the sky is going to feed them?



What a lovely family.

NOTE: I am only guessing about which parent is which. It is entirely possible that the larger turtle is in fact the female, and I have anthropomortified them by getting it wrong.