Tortoise blogging

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Yes, yes, I know. There's so much else going on in the world. What's with the turtle?

Well, first, it's not a turtle, it's a tortoise -- an Egyptian tortoise, to be precise, a Testudo kleinmanni (about which you can find out more here, here, and here). It's an endangered species, as you might guess (and there will be many more such species as a result of global warming). This is a newborn held by a zookeeper at Rome's Bioparco zoo. Isn't it cute? I couldn't decide which photo to post, so I'm posting both (the first is from the BBC, the second is from the Globe).

Second, the preservation of endangered species like this one is extremely important. It's an issue -- and a crisis -- that deserves far more attention, particularly political attention.

Third, I like posting photos of animals -- just type "animals" in the search bar above. They tend to be a welcome respite from all the gravitas. Although, again, this is pretty serious.

Fourth, we'll get back to the latest from our mad, mad, mad, mad world soon enough. For now, just enjoy the photos.