A turtle s shell is actually made up of its ribs joined together and covered with a thin layer of skin. Each of the ribs is made of jigsaw-like sections called scutes which grow at the edges. This allows the turtle to increase in size without outgrowing its shell. Mature males have long toenails on their front feet that they use when courting females. The males swim backwards in front of females and fan water over their faces.
Sliders have poor hearing but are very sensitive to vibrations.
This makes it hard to sneak up on them. Their name, slider, comes from the fact that they are quick to slide off of rocks, logs or the banks if danger threatens. Legend has it that many Indian tribesbelieved that the land on which they lived was the back of a huge mother turtle, floating in a vast sea. Turtles were considered sacred and never killed. The thirteen pieces on some turtle s shells are thought to represent the thirteen moons of the year.