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Updated: 7:25 PM Nov 26, 2005
Musk Turtle Mystery
Scientists solve 56-year-old mystery with find of musk turtle.
Posted: 7:25 PM Nov 26, 2005 |
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Scientific discovery doesn't always smell good.
Biologists this fall caught 11 musk turtles in a lake southwest of Lawrence, the first physical evidence that the turtles actually lived in the state.
The animal gets its name from the strong odor it exudes when
threatened.
Joseph Collins, a retired University of Kansas biologist, says a scientist found a musk turtle shell in Douglas County in 1949 but no one had ever seen a live turtle until this year.
He says the find is important as scientists establish the musk turtle's habitat. It's more common in marshes and murky lake bottoms in the eastern and southeastern United States.
Biologists say the turtles are a sign of good water quality.
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