Powerpets Site Updates

Powerpets Site Updates http://www.powerpets.com Virtual Pet Adoption Site - Free to play, fun and educational Playable Web Games Powerpets, Inc. All Rights Reserved http://images.powerpets.com/image/logos/pplogo.gif 125 30 http://www.powerpets.com Powerpets Site Updates en-us Fri, 3 Feb 2012 19:08:00 EST Fri, 3 Feb 2012 19:08:00 EST 60 Gold Statues Released Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8432 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8432 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8432 This month's gold statue is the Emu. Thanks to everyone for upgrading your account. We hope you enjoy your little bonus. Make sure to keep your account upgraded for the next statue to be released March 3rd. Creature Feature! Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8431 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8431 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8431 Each Friday we celebrate a different pet. This week our focus is on the Pigeon. Did you know that Pigeons prefer to perch on flat surfaces which they need to nest. Nests are usually built under shelter. Wood or metal sheathing can be installed on a ledge at an angle that denies pigeons the opportunity to use that surface. For more information about this animal, check out the PetPedia - Pigeon. To celebrate this fascinating bird, we are introducing the following. The chefs at Simply Delicious are restocking pigeon pretzels and poached pigeon eggs. Both will be quite satisfying for your pet. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/pigeonpretzel.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/poachedpigeoneggs.png" width="130" height="100"> </center> The playpen has a few new toys for your pet. Head over there and let your pet have some fun with a pigeon playhouse and a pigeon puzzle. Both these items will expand your pet's imagination. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/pigeonplayhouse.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/pigeonpuzzle.png" width="130" height="100"> </center> The Upgrade Center has a new stuffy! Check out the new Pigeon Princess Stuffy. You can get this stuffy for ONE WEEK only. The Kissable Kuvasz stuffy ended up with chapped lips. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/pigeonprincessstuffy.png" width="130" height="100"> </center> Enough fun stuff for your pet. The apparel shop has some fun Pigeon Wings. Great addition for a halloween costume or just for being silly! <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/apparel/bwpigeonwings.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> Armory: If you own a featured creature, you will be able to enjoy half time armoring at the <a href="/armory/welcome.asp">Armory</a> in North New Barkston. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/special/profile_63.gif" width="130" height="100"></center> The <a href="/city/museum/giftshop.asp">Giftshop</a> at the Ancient Museum in East New Barkston will be selling a Pigeon profile. If you miss it, you miss it. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/newpets/pigeonnest.gif" width="130" height="100"></center> Last but not least, see if you can figure out how to unlock the Pigeon Nest environment. Good luck! A special thanks to Giselle for this weeks items! Great job! Over the hills of snow Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8430 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8430 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8430 If you are the proud owner of a snowman mini, it is time to pay Nothing Rare Here a visit. As of today, NRH is selling snowman armor! Protect your mini from just about anything in the battle stage. Good luck getting your hands on one of these though. AT - Lucky Number Results! Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8427 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8427 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8427 Thanks to everyone who participated in the Action Team's - Lucky Number event this week! There were a total of 74 entries for this event! This week's Lucky Number was 9! Below are the winners and the amount of points they have won with their lucky guess: **20 Points** (#9) Erath WindHallow **4 Points** (#6 or #12) -Aaron- **2 Points** (#5 or #13) LyonessJade Reminder: All points from AT events will be updated to the Action Team Redemption Centre a week after all the events for this week have ended. Please be aware that adding of the points may take longer though. Thank you very much for entering this event! See you next time for some more fun! Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker Listen to your Heart Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8421 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8421 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8421 As suggested, we are pleased to bring back the beautiful Beating Heart toys! These are available in the Upgrade Center for the month of February only. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/gekkiebeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/kylabeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/lilroobeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/lishabeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/milesbeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/novabeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/norabeatingheart.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> Weeeeeee Alert! Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8420 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8420 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8420 As promised, the Upgrade Center has a new Valentine's Giftpack. Each giftpack contains 2 Wee Mini stuffies and a Wee Mini Cream Rinse. Head over to the Mini Bath House and color your minis! Thanks to everyone who purchases a giftpack to support Powerpets and animals in need. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weealvacstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weeayebuttahstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weekina4stuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weetroussstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weeunigonstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weelammickstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weeraptorrexstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weedrolfstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weestegorexstuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> New Mayors for February Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8419 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8419 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8419 As voted by you, the mayors to lead your PF Cities for February have been assigned. -Chris- (Labby) celtic_chick (Kuvasz) AngelxOxBabiie (Pony) RainbowGlass (Collie) TheWhip (Sheepdog) --Megan-- (Dolphin) NO MAYOR (Wolfox) Lukies (Eagle) Gwumpykjbear (Gecko) clair1231489 (Polar) Pi3141592653589 (Somali) Don't forget to enter your application next month. Thanks to January's mayors and good luck to everyone new! AT - Caption Contest! Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8417 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8417 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8417 Welcome to Action Teams - Caption Contest event! Thank you to the 8 players who participated in Round 1 of the Caption Contest. Out of the 8 entries, these 3 captions were picked because they were found to fit the image the best. -SC-: "Recipe for Squid Cookies: 1 cup squid ink, 1 Sweetfire, 2 radioactive slimes. Bake until Sweetfire stops screaming." Spongebob221: "Get away from my cookies! Or I'll suction cup you! >.>" Night_Breeze: "The normal person has two arms. I have 10. So that means... I CAN HAVE 5X THE AMOUNT OF COOKIES AT THE SAME TIME! Which ALSO means, you can't have any because they're ALL MINE. My precious, my precious." [break] The above winners have won themselves 5 Action Team Points each! Congratulations! :) The other 7 entries will be posted onto the PF board so that you can all enjoy reading them :) Now, on to Round 2! Here is your image to send in a caption for: <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/squidsockpuppet.gif"></center> Pmail your entries to oOSailorMoonOo by 11:59PM PP Time on Saturday 4th February. Remember: All Captions created MUST be of your own creation! Anyone caught using captions, lines, songs etc.. from other sources will result in ALL of your AT Points stripped and being banned from any future events for a specified amount of time! Good luck! :) Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | -Chris- | Giselle | Lillianne | -Aaron- | steenbokker Last Day of the Month Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8415 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8415 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8415 Today is the last day of the month and what a month it has been. We hope you all have recovered from all the festivities last month and survived the first month of 2012. February will be a great month to celebrate. Valentine's Day is on February 14th and we also have our favorite chipmunks back! The giggling chipmunks will be handing out some awesome items this month. You'll also be able to visit the Wishing Fountain every day. Here is a sneak peek at some of the stuff you can win! <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/globeoflove.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/pinkbrokenheartpuzzle.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/heartymeal.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/jellyrolls.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/marshmallowduck.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/marshmallowhearts.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/windupchicktoy.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/windupducktoy.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/lovelycheetahstuffy.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/fuzzyheartstuffy.png" width="130" height="100"> </center> The Candy Crush shop will be open for everyone during the month of February! Along with the other regular items you can purchase, you can get these as well! <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/chocolatealmonds.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/chocolateraisins.png" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/valentinecandybag.png" width="130" height="100"> </center> In February we will be announcing our top 10 Snowscape winners! Congratulations to everyone who participated and won during the months of December and January. All the snowscapes looked great! Good job! We will be holding a Junk Wars event too! It's a great way to get rid of those items you no longer need or want. And you get the chance to ping someone in the head with them. <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/valentineacorn.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> There will be a new giftpack too! It's time we paid some attention to those lovely little minis we all own. There will be a new cream rinse and new mini stuffies! To everyone who purchases one, thank you! </center> Our 10th anniversary is creeping up on us. We will be celebrating it in June. We hope you will be able to stick around and celebrate this special time! <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/apparel/cangaredpartyhat.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> In February we have some new valentine clothing. No sneak peeks on this one. You will just have to wait! If you live in a <a href="/cities/welcome.asp">PF Town</a> and you have not yet voted for your mayor, today is the last day to do so. On Wednesday, we will be selecting the Stuffy of the Month contest winners. For every 100 credits purchased in the <a href="/members/welcome.asp">Upgrade Center</a>, a ticket will be entered in the random draw. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/taxmanlilroo.gif" width="130" height="100"></center> The <a href="/badgeria/beu/welcome.asp">Eurobank</a> will be handing out its interest tonight, and we had a good month, so hopefully you kept your Eurobank balance up. If you want to be eligible for the February interest rates, you need to deposit your money now. On February 4th we will be holding our monthly FREE BINGO day. As a thank you to everyone for playing Powerpets, everyone will be receiving 6 free tickets for every game. Come on out and play a few games and try your luck at winning some jackpots! <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/benjistuffy.gif" width="130" height="100"></center> On February 5th the staff will be hosting a 500,000 Dicey Mice Staff Challenge during the day and evening. If you can beat the staff in a challenge, you will win a prize. One prize per player, however, you can sign up as many times as you wish. As long as you have the powerbucks, we are willing to take it from you. Show us the money! On February 25th we will be holding our Monthly Scavenger Hunt. Get those thinking caps on and try your luck at winning an investigator stuffy. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/investigator_cilantro.gif" width="130" height="100"></center> Tonight on PAW, all the monthly stats will be reset. We will be handing out the Top Clicks Received trophies to pets, Top Clicker trophies to those who handed out the most clicks (along with the special Key To Victory) and we will be handing out the Top Referrer of the Month trophies which will also be accompanied by a special item. <center><img src="http://www.petadoptworld.com/image/assets/Siamese.png" width="130" height="100"></center> We hope you had fun in January and that you'll all stick around for February and the chipmunks! Happy Birthday -SC- Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8414 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8414 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8414 It's -sc-'s 22nd birthday today! To celebrate this momentous day, the chefs were busy all weekend trying to come up with the perfect -sc- cupcake! Head over to simply delicious and enjoy a yummy cupcake today! <center> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/carrot-sc-cupcake.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/chocolate-sc-cupcake.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/lemon-sc-cupcake.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/strawberry-sc-cupcake.gif" width="130" height="100"> <img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/vanilla-sc-cupcake.gif" width="130" height="100"> </center> AT - Caption Contest Results! Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8412 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8412 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8412 Welcome to the Results Page of the Action Teams - Caption Contest event! Thank you to the 10 players who participated in Round 2 of the Caption Contest. Out of the 10 entries, these 3 were picked because they were found to fit the image the best. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/kangaroobathfloatie.gif"></center> dodylee3: "*Pops head over tube* "Now you see me!" *Ducks under tube* "Now Im wet!!!"" Shiremaid: "Uh, mom? I can't reach the bottom. Maybe we should get a smaller bathtub?" -SweetPea-: "well at least i smell good now" The above winners have won themselves 5 Action Team Points each! Congratulations! :) The other 7 entries will be posted onto the PF board so that you can all enjoy reading them :) Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | -Chris- | Giselle | Lillianne | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Whats Missing? Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8407 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8407 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8407 Welcome to the Action Teams – What's Missing? event! Can you put the vowels and spaces back into the following phrase that is found somewhere on the Powerpets site? <center>Wlcm! fyhvcmpltJnglMp,cngdythrghthdpstfjnglsrndChm. myrnlyhpfrcmngtlv,btwhknws,ymyfndsmtrsrwhrvrldy.</center> Pmail the complete phrase to Lillianne by 11.59PM PP time on Thursday February 2nd. Each person who gets the entire phrase correct will receive 10 Action Team Redemption Points :) Good luck finding the answer! Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Raffle Results! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8402 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8402 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8402 Congratulations goes to the below 5 people who have won themselves 3 Redemption Points each :) Every week, players will get a chance of winning between 3 and 5 Redemption Points (3 Points - Below 100 Players Entered, 5 Points - Above 100 Players Entered, 5 Points - Above 125 Players will be rewarded to 10 Players!) just by reading and then commenting in the article's comment section. [break] Any Redemption Points achieved can be used to redeem prizes from the Action Team Redemption Centre! • kilrothi • musicgurl333 • SuzyQ2 • ARB408 • -Nikki- On behalf of the Action Team members, I would like to thank everyone who participated in yesterdays post.. There were 99 entries (was 100 but I excluded myself).. Nice one! :D If you would like a chance at winning Redemption Points, please join in the Action Team events which are hosted weekly!! :) More fun trivia posts will be coming up again next week! :) Don't forget to keep a close eye on the Site Updates as you never know what important information you will miss out on! If you have any animals that you would like to learn about please post in the comments section and I will add them to my list of animals to do :) Have a great day and see you all soon! :) AT - Keno! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8401 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8401 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8401 Welcome to the Action Teams - Keno event! Keno. A game that has had its roots all the way back to Ancient China! A spurious legend has it that the invention of the game saved an ancient city in time of war, and its widespread popularity helped raise funds to build the Great Wall of China. The Chinese played the game using sheets printed with Chinese characters, often the first 80 characters of the Thousand Character Classic, from which the winning characters were selected. Eventually, Chinese immigrants introduced keno to the West when they sailed across the Pacific Ocean to help build the First Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th century, where the name was Westernized into boc hop bu and puck-apu. By 1866 it had already become a widely popular gambling game in Houston, Texas, under the name 'Keno'. To celebrate the origins of Keno and it being such an interesting game... The Actions Teams have decided to bring you some of that fun! :) [break] All you need to do to enter in this game is wait for an Action Team Host to post on the Beginner's Forum where one of them will be hosting a game of Keno and then sign up to it! Keno will be played randomly each day! The way this game will work is as follows: Players need to pick 10 numbers of their choice from numbers 1-80 and post them in the dedicated post on the Beginner's Forum when they sign up. After 15 mins of the post being active it will be closed and an <strongAction Team Host will then draw 20 random numbers from a number generator. When the numbers have been drawn a new post will be opened on the Beginner's forum where players will match up their numbers and call out that they have won. An Action Team Host will then check the numbers and award the winners points in reguards to how many numbers they have matched with their chosen numbers. **Please note that you will need to actually POST your win on the Results Thread!** Points Guide: 10 Matched Numbers = 75 9 Matched Numbers = 50 8 Matched Numbers = 40 7 Matched Numbers = 30 6 Matched Numbers = 20 5 Matched Numbers = 10 4 Matched Numbers = 5 You'll have 15 mins to post if you think you won if you fail to do so in that time limit then your out of luck. Good luck! :) Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Survivor! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8400 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8400 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8400 Welcome to the Action Teams - Survivor Series!! In this game all players who have signed up will be randomly paired up with an opponent to play a game randomly picked from a generator every round until there is one overall winner! From Sunday January 29th until Saturday February 4th at random times during each day, -Aaron- will announce on the Beginner's Board when he is about to host a round of Survivor - Tournament Style! All you need to do to enter in the tournament is to post in a Sign-Up post which will be posted on the Beginner's Board sometime during the day approximately 15 minutes before the Tournament game is due to start. When the 15 minutes has expired, -Aaron- will then post instructions on the Beginner's Board stating what to do next. [break] Rules: - Players who have {Host} next to their name will set up the direct game challenge (meaning that you will need to fill in the User to Challenge box). - All games will need to be set up with the lowest price setting ($250pb - unless both agree to a higher setting). - Player with the highest score on the game specified advances to the next round. - If players do not play the game specified both will be disqualified for not following instructions. - Winner of the match MUST post their results in the reflecting Round Post on the Beginner's Board! - If a player does not accept a game challenge within 2 minutes then their opponent will automatically advance to the next round. If this happens in round 1 the person WILL NOT receive credit for playing. - If a Host cannot challenge an opponent (e.g. they are appearing as offline or are blocked) and the Opponent/Host does not rectify the situation within 5 minutes then the Host/Opponent will advance to the next round, If this happens in round 1 the person WILL NOT receive credit for playing. - If a player receives a Bye indicator as their opponent it means that they get to play against the Tournament Host - This is only awarded if there are an uneven amount of players signed up. - NO abuse of your opponents. Anyone found abusing anyone will be disqualified immediately and further action taken! Prizes: 5 Action Team Points per player who participates in Round 1 20 Action Team Points - Overall Winner Good luck and Have Fun! Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Guess The AT Member! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8399 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8399 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8399 Welcome to the Action Teams - Guess the AT Member Please join oOSailorMoonOo on the Beginners board at random times during the week to play Guess the AT Member. How to play the game: 5 Random Facts about an AT Member will be posted one at a time on the Beginner's Board. Your job, if you choose to do so, will be that you will need to figure out which AT Member belongs to the fact before you run out of time! [break] The first player who guesses the AT Member/s correctly for each game played will receive up to 25 AT Points! Prizes: Won on First Guess: 25 AT Points Won on Second Guess: 20 AT Points Won on Third Guess: 15 Points Won on Fourth Guess: 10 Points Won on Final Guess: 5 Points If you do not guess the AT Member after the 5th guess you will be disqualified from the game and no points will be awarded. Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | -Chris- | Giselle | Lillianne | steenbokker | -Aaron- AT - Strength Race! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8398 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8398 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8398 Welcome to the Action Teams - Strength Race! For this event you will have to sign up in this update. Post the name of one of your pets and the strength statistics to sign up. Once you have posted the statistics, you can start. You will have untill Noon PP Time on Saturday the 4th of February to add the strength. [break] <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/conquistadorazul.gif"></center> By putting strength on your pet, you will gain Strength Points. Prizes: 35 Action Team points - Player with the Most Strength Added. 25 Action Team points - Player with the Second most Strength Added. 15 Action Team points - Player with the Third most Strength Added. Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Armor Race! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8397 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8397 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8397 Welcome to the Action Teams - Armor Race! For this event you will have to sign up in this update. Post the name of one of your pets and the armor statistics to sign up. Once you have posted the statistics, you can start. You will have untill Noon PP Time on Saturday the 4th of February to add the armor. [break] <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/conquistadorazul.gif"></center> By putting armor on your pet, you will gain Armor Points. The armor points are based on the amount of time it costs to add one piece of armor. Example: Your pet has 150 armor, it takes 3 hours to add one piece of armor, you will gain 3 Armor Points. Prizes: 35 Action Team points - Player with the Most Armor Points. 25 Action Team points - Player with the Second most Armor Points. 15 Action Team points - Player with the Third most Armor Points. Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Lucky Number! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8396 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8396 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8396 Welcome to the Action Teams – Lucky Number event! There is a secret number worth a lot of points, and in order to get these points, all you have to do is guess what this number is! And just to make things even better, even if you don’t get the exact number, you can still win some points if your guess was close enough! [break] Here are the following points you can win: Correct Number = 20 Points Off by One Number = 10 Points Off by Two Numbers = 6 Points Off by Three Numbers = 4 Points Off by Four Numbers = 2 Points The only hint you’ll get is that the number is somewhere between 0 and 121! Post your best guess right here in the comments section for Giselle to see. You only get ONE guess though, so make sure it’s a good one, and maybe you’ll get lucky! You have until Wednesday, February 1st at 11.59PM PP Time to post, good luck! Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- AT - Caption Contest! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8395 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8395 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8395 Welcome to Round 1 of the Action Teams - Caption Contest event! An image is posted, and with that image you will need to think up a funny caption that matches that image, and send it to oOSailorMoonOo before 11:59PM PowerPets Time on Tuesday 31st of January. The 3 Captions that I think fit the image best will win 5 AT Points each :) [break] Here is your image to send in a caption for: <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/giantsquidcookiejar.png"></center> Please Note: All Captions created MUST be of your own creation! Anyone caught using captions, lines, songs etc.. from other sources will result in ALL of your AT Points stripped and being banned from any future events for a specified amount of time! Good luck! Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | -Chris- | Giselle | Lillianne | -Aaron- | steenbokker AT - Schedule! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8394 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8394 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8394 The Action Teams schedule for the week of Sunday 29th January to Saturday 4th February, 2012 is now complete! Make sure to keep time available on your calendars so you can participate. Details for each event will be posted shortly before the actual events. Signup and participation details will be told to you by the actual team members when the events are due to start. [break] Host: oOSailorMoonOo What: Caption Contest!> When: Round 1: Sunday 29th January to Tuesday 31st January @ 11:59PM PP Time, Round 2: Wednesday 1st February to Friday 3rd February @ 11:59PM PP Time.. Where: News Update for Information/Advertising/Event, Beginner's Board for Advertising Prizes: Round 1: 5 AT Points (x3), Round 2: 5 AT Points (x3) Host: Giselle What: Lucky Number! When: Sunday 29th January - Wednesday 1st February @ 11:59PM PP Time.. Post your answer in the News Update! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising/Event, Beginner's Board for Advertising. Prizes: Correct number = 20 Points, Off by one number = 8 Points, Off by two numbers = 6 Points, Off by three numbers = 4 Points, Off by four numbers = 2 Points Host: steenbokker What: Armor Race! When: Sunday 29th January - Saturday 28th January.. Sign-up to the News Update at Noon today to enter! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising/Event/Sign-ups, Beginner's Board for Advertising Prizes: 35 AT Points - First Place, 25 AT Points - Second Place, 15 AT Points - Third Place. Host: steenbokker What: Strength Race! When: Sunday 29th January - Saturday 28th January.. Sign-up to the News Update at Noon today to enter! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising/Event/Sign-ups, Beginner's Board for Advertising Prizes: 35 AT Points - First Place, 25 AT Points - Second Place, 15 AT Points - Third Place. Host: oOSailorMoonOo What: Guess The AT Member!> When: Sunday 29th January - Saturday 4th February @ Random Times during the week.. Sign-ups will be 15 minutes before event is due to start! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising, Beginner's Board for Advertising/Event Prizes: 5 AT Points per correct answer Host: -Aaron- What: Survivor Series! When: Sunday 29th January - Saturday 4th February @ Random Times during the week.. Sign-ups will be 15 minutes before event is due to start! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising, Beginner's Board for Advertising/Event/Sign-ups Prizes: 5 Action Team Points per player (Plays in Round 1 and is not disqualified nor Timed Out), 20 Action Team Points for Overall Winner. Host: Action Team Hosts What: Keno! When: Sunday 29th January - Saturday 4th February @ Random times during each day. Sign-ups will be 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Where: News Update for Information/Advertising, Beginner's Board for Advertising/Event/Sign-ups. Prizes: Match 10 Numbers - 75 AT Points, Match 9 Numbers - 50 AT Points, Match 8 Numbers - 40 AT Points, Match 7 Numbers - 30 AT Points, Match 6 Numbers - 20 AT Points, Match 5 Numbers - 10 AT Points, Match 4 Numbers - 5 AT Points. Host: Lillianne What: Whats Missing? When: Monday 30th January - Thursday 2nd February @ 11:59PM PP Time.. Send in your answers to Lillianne! Where: News Update for Information/Advertising/Event, Beginner's Board for Advertising Prizes: 10 AT Points for Correct Phrase Host: Action Teams What: Fun Facts Trivia + Raffle! When: Saturday 4th February to Sunday 5th February - 24 hour event. Where: News Update for more Information/Advertising/Event, Beginner's Board for Advertising. Prizes: 3 Points per person - 5 winners, 5 Points per person (5 winners) if get over 100 unique entries. *New* If we get over 125 entries then 10 people will be drawn to receive 5 Points each! Reminder: All points from the above events will be updated to the Action Team Redemption Centre by a week after the events for this week begins. Please be aware that adding of the points may take longer! AT - Mini Armor Race Results! Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8393 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8393 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8393 Welcome to the Action Teams - Mini Armor Race Results! Thank you for the 20 people that signed up and armored their minis. Winners: First Place - QueenFlower and austria - 35 AT Points Second Place - JinglebellsXC - 25 AT Points Third Place - -Aaron- - 15 AT Points Congrats to the above 3 Winners! [break] Below are the Mini Armor Points each player made. QueenFlower -- 22 Mini Armor Points austria -- 22 Mini Armor Points JinglebellsXC -- 18 Mini Armor Points -Aaron- -- 16 Mini Armor Points Lillianne -- 15 Mini Armor Points ncwomanlooking -- 15 Mini Armor Points mcguire2009 -- 14 Mini Armor Points SummerMaple -- 13 Mini Armor Points Ultimate_Elite -- 13 Mini Armor Points Kaulean -- 13 Mini Armor Points LyonessJade -- 12 Mini Armor Points FalliNg_sTaR143 -- 12 Mini Armor Points magentapavilion -- 12 Mini Armor Points PrincessUnigon -- 12 Mini Armor Points mitfordgal -- 11 Mini Armor Points Warren_Mears -- 11 Mini Armor Points oOKiraraOo -- 7 Mini Armor Points LadyPrimavera -- 5 Mini Armor Points miss_sparklz -- 5 Mini Armor Points S2KKS2 -- 2 Mini Armor Points Ancalagon | oOSailorMoonOo | Giselle | Lillianne | -Chris- | -Aaron- | steenbokker New Small Updates Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8392 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8392 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8392 We know that sometimes life happens and you have to log off from Powerpets for a few hours, in rare cases even an entire day. Since we do have many updates every day, we decided to revamp our small updates page to give everyone a better and faster overview of what is going on. You'll also notice a new Action Team category which will prove very handy for those of you participating in the many Action team events. Come on and squeeze me Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8390 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8390 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8390 There is a special Kuvasz surprise in the Vending Machine. Gather up your brown bag dispenser coins and try your luck! AT - Raffle! Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8388 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8388 http://www.powerpets.com/news/sucomment.asp?suid=8388 Here are some Fun Facts about the Turtle! Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (the crown group of the superorder Chelonia), characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. The order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species. The earliest known turtles date from 215 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards, snakes and crocodiles. Of the many species alive today, some are highly endangered. [break] • Like other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms — their internal temperature varies according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded. However, leatherback sea turtles have noticeably higher body temperature than surrounding water because of their high metabolic rate. • Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic. • The largest living chelonian is the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which reaches a shell length of 200 centimetres (6.6 ft) and can reach a weight of over 900 kilograms (2,000 lb). • Freshwater turtles are generally smaller, but with the largest species, the Asian softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii, a few individuals have been reported up to 200 centimetres (6.6 ft). This dwarfs even the better-known alligator snapping turtle, the largest chelonian in North America, which attains a shell length of up to 80 centimetres (2.6 ft) and weighs as much as 113.4 kilograms (250 lb). • The only surviving giant tortoises are on the Seychelles and Galápagos Islands, and can grow to over 130 centimetres (51 in) in length, and weigh about 300 kilograms (660 lb). • The smallest turtle is the speckled padloper tortoise of South Africa. It measures no more than 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in length and weighs about 140 grams (4.9 oz). • Two other species of small turtles are the American mud turtles and musk turtles that live in an area that ranges from Canada to South America. The shell length of many species in this group is less than 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length. • Turtles are divided into two groups, according to how they evolved a solution to the problem of withdrawing their necks into their shells (something the ancestral Proganochelys could not do): the Cryptodira, which can draw their necks in while contracting it under their spine; and the Pleurodira, which contract their necks to the side. • Most turtles that spend most of their lives on land have their eyes looking down at objects in front of them. Some aquatic turtles, such as snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles, have eyes closer to the top of the head. These species of turtles can hide from predators in shallow water, where they lie entirely submerged except for their eyes and nostrils. • Sea turtles possess glands near their eyes that produce salty tears that rid their body of excess salt taken in from the water they drink. • Turtles are thought to have exceptional night vision due to the unusually large number of rod cells in their retinas. Turtles have color vision with a wealth of cone subtypes with sensitivities ranging from the near ultraviolet (UV A) to red. • Some land turtles have very poor pursuit movement abilities, which are normally reserved for predators that hunt quick moving prey, but carnivorous turtles are able to move their heads quickly to snap. • Turtles have a rigid beak. Turtles use their jaws to cut and chew food. Instead of teeth, the upper and lower jaws of the turtle are covered by horny ridges. • Carnivorous turtles usually have knife-sharp ridges for slicing through their prey. Herbivorous turtles have serrated-edged ridges that help them cut through tough plants. • Turtles use their tongues to swallow food, but they cannot, unlike most reptiles, stick out their tongues to catch food. • The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell that encases the belly is called the plastron. The carapace and plastron are joined together on the turtle's sides by bony structures called bridges. • The inner layer of a turtle's shell is made up of about 60 bones that include portions of the backbone and the ribs, meaning the turtle cannot crawl out of its shell. • In most turtles, the outer layer of the shell is covered by horny scales called scutes that are part of its outer skin, or epidermis. Scutes are made up of a fibrous protein called keratin that also makes up the scales of other reptiles. These scutes overlap the seams between the shell bones and add strength to the shell. • Some turtles do not have horny scutes. For example, the leatherback sea turtle and the soft-shelled turtles have shells covered with leathery skin instead. • The rigid shell means turtles cannot breathe as other reptiles do, by changing the volume of their chest cavity via expansion and contraction of the ribs. Instead, turtles breathe in two ways. First, they employ buccal pumping, pulling air into their mouth, then pushing it into the lungs via oscillations of the floor of the throat. Secondly, by contracting the abdominal muscles that cover the posterior opening of the shell, the internal volume of the shell increases, drawing air into the lungs, allowing these muscles to function in much the same way as the mammalian diaphragm. • The shape of the shell gives helpful clues to how a turtle lives. Most tortoises have a large, dome-shaped shell that makes it difficult for predators to crush the shell between their jaws. One of the few exceptions is the African pancake tortoise, which has a flat, flexible shell that allows it to hide in rock crevices. • Most aquatic turtles have flat, streamlined shells which aid in swimming and diving. • American snapping turtles and musk turtles have small, cross-shaped plastrons that give them more efficient leg movement for walking along the bottom of ponds and streams. • The color of a turtle's shell may vary. Shells are commonly colored brown, black, or olive green. In some species, shells may have red, orange, yellow, or grey markings and these markings are often spots, lines, or irregular blotches. One of the most colorful turtles is the eastern painted turtle which includes a yellow plastron and a black or olive shell with red markings around the rim. • Turtles do not molt their skins all at once, as snakes do, but continuously, in small pieces. When kept in aquaria, small sheets of dead skin can be seen in the water (often appearing to be a thin piece of plastic) having been sloughed off when the animal deliberately rubs itself against a piece of wood or stone. Tortoises also shed skin, but a lot of dead skin is allowed to accumulate into thick knobs and plates that provide protection to parts of the body outside the shell. • By counting the rings formed by the stack of smaller, older scutes on top of the larger, newer ones, it is possible to estimate the age of a turtle, if one knows how many scutes are produced in a year. This method is not very accurate, partly because growth rate is not constant, but also because some of the scutes eventually fall away from the shell. • Terrestrial tortoises have short, sturdy feet. Tortoises are famous for moving slowly, in part because of their heavy, cumbersome shell, which restricts stride length. • The amphibious turtles normally have limbs similar to those of tortoises, except the feet are webbed and often have long claws. These turtles swim using all four feet in a way similar to the dog paddle, with the feet on the left and right side of the body alternately providing thrust. • Large turtles tend to swim less than smaller ones, and the very big species, such as alligator snapping turtles, hardly swim at all, preferring to simply walk along the bottom of the river or lake. • As well as webbed feet, turtles have very long claws, used to help them clamber onto riverbanks and floating logs, upon which they like to bask. Male turtles tend to have particularly long claws, and these appear to be used to stimulate the female while mating. While most turtles have webbed feet, some, such as the pig-nosed turtle, have true flippers, with the digits being fused into paddles and the claws being relatively small. These species swim in the same way as sea turtles. • Sea turtles are almost entirely aquatic and have flippers instead of feet. Sea turtles fly through the water, using the up-and-down motion of the front flippers to generate thrust; the back feet are not used for propulsion, but may be used as rudders for steering. Compared with freshwater turtles, sea turtles have very limited mobility on land, and apart from the dash from the nest to the sea as hatchlings, male sea turtles normally never leave the sea. Females must come back onto land to lay eggs. They move very slowly and laboriously, dragging themselves forwards with their flippers. • Seven species of marine turtles are found worldwide. Of these, five have been recorded in Europe. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/food/turtlecake.gif"></center> Culture/Mythology • Although the word turtle is widely used to describe all members of the order Testudines, it is also common to see certain members described as terrapins, tortoises or sea turtles, as well. Precisely how these alternative names are used, if at all, depends on the type of English being used. • British English normally describes these reptiles as turtles if they live in the sea; terrapins if they live in fresh or brackish water; or tortoises if they live on land. However, there are exceptions to this where American or Australian common names are in wide use, as with the Fly River turtle. • American English tends to use the word turtle as a general term for all species. "Tortoise" is used for most land-dwelling species, including the family Testudinidae and box tortoises. Oceanic species are usually referred to as sea turtles. The name "terrapin" is typically reserved only for the brackish water diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin; the word terrapin being derived from the Algonquian word for this animal. • Australian English uses turtle for both the marine and freshwater species, but tortoise for the terrestrial species. • To avoid confusion, the word "chelonian" is popular among veterinarians, scientists, and conservationists working with these animals as a catch-all name for any member of the superorder Chelonia, which includes all turtles, tortoises and terrapins living and extinct, as well as their immediate ancestors. It is based on the Ancient Greek word &#967;&#949;&#955;&#974;&#957;&#951;, chel&#333;n&#275;; Modern Greek &#967;&#949;&#955;&#974;&#957;&#945;, chel&#333;na; meaning turtle/tortoise. • Some languages do not have this problem, as all of these are referred to by the same name. For example, in Spanish, the word "tortuga" is used for turtles, tortoises and terrapins, though the type they belong to is usually specified and added to the name, as "marina" for sea turtles, "de río", for freshwater species and "terrestre" for tortoises. • Turtles, particularly small terrestrial and freshwater turtles, are commonly kept as pets. Among the most popular are Russian tortoises, spur-thighed tortoises, and red-eared sliders. • In the United States, due to the ease of contracting salmonellosis through casual contact with turtles, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a regulation in 1975 to discontinue the sale of turtles under 4 inches. It is illegal in every state in the U.S. for anyone to sell any turtles under 4 inches (10 cm) long. Many stores and flea markets still sell small turtles due to a loophole in the FDA regulation which allows turtles under 4 inches to be sold for educational purposes. • Some states have other laws and regulations regarding possession of red-eared sliders as pets because they are looked upon as invasive species or pests where they are not native, but have been introduced through the pet trade. As of July 1, 2007, it is illegal in Florida to sell any wild type red-eared slider. Unusual color varieties such as albino and pastel red-eared sliders, which are derived from captive breeding, are still allowed for sale. • The flesh of turtles was, and still is, considered a delicacy in a number of cultures. Turtle soup has been a prized dish in Anglo-American cuisine, and still remains so in some parts of Asia. Gopher tortoise stew was popular with some groups in Florida. • Turtles remain a part of the traditional diet on the island of Grand Cayman, so much so that when wild stocks became depleted, a turtle farm was established specifically to raise sea turtles for their meat. The farm also releases specimens to the wild as part of an effort to repopulate the Caribbean Sea. • Fat from turtles is also used in the Caribbean and in Mexico as a main ingredient in cosmetics, marketed under its Spanish name crema de tortuga. • Turtle plastrons (the part of the shell that covers a tortoise from the bottom) are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine; according to statistics, Taiwan imports hundreds of tons of plastrons every year. A popular medicinal preparation based on powdered turtle plastron (and a variety of herbs) is the guilinggao jelly; these days, though, it is typically made with only herbal ingredients. • Turtles face many threats, including habitat destruction, harvesting for consumption and pet trade. • In February 2011, the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group published a report about the top 25 species of turtles most likely to become extinct, with a further 40 species at very high risk of becoming extinct. This list excludes sea turtles, however both the leatherback and the Kemp's ridley would make the top 25 list. The report is due to be updated in four years time allowing to follow the evolution of the list. • Between 48 to 54% of all 328 of their species considered threatened, turtles and tortoises are at a much higher risk of extinction than many other vertebrates. Of the 263 species of freshwater and terrestrial turtles, 117 species are considered Threatened, 73 are either Endangered or Critically Endangered and 1 is Extinct. Of the 58 species belonging to the Testudinidae family, 33 species are Threatened, 18 are either Endangered or Critically Endangered, 1 is Extinct in the wild and 7 species are Extinct. 71% of all tortoise species are either gone or almost gone. • Asian species are the most endangered, closely followed by the five endemic species from Madagascar. • The high extinction risk for Asian species is primarily due to the long-term unsustainable exploitation of turtles and tortoises for consumption and traditional Chinese medicine, and to a lesser extent for the international pet trade. • Efforts have been made by Chinese entrepreneurs to satisfy increasing demand for turtle meat as gourmet food and traditional medicine with farmed turtles, instead of wild-caught ones; according to a study published in 2007, over a thousand turtle farms operated in China. Turtle farms in Oklahoma and Louisiana raise turtles for export to China as well. • Nonetheless, wild turtles continue to be caught and sent to market in large number (as well as to turtle farms, to be used as breeding stock), resulting in a situation described by conservationists as "the Asian turtle crisis". In the words of the biologist George Amato, "the amount and the volume of captured turtles... vacuumed up entire species from areas in Southeast Asia", even as biologists still did not know how many distinct turtle species live in the region. About 75% of Asia's 90 tortoise and freshwater turtle species are estimated to have become threatened. • Harvesting wild turtles is legal in a number of states in the USA. In one of these states, Florida, just a single seafood company in Fort Lauderdale was reported in 2008 as buying about 5,000 pounds of softshell turtles a week. The harvesters (hunters) are paid about $2 a pound; some manage to catch as many as 30–40 turtles (500 pounds) on a good day. Some of the catch gets to the local restaurants, while most of it is exported to Asia. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimated in 2008 that around 3,000 pounds of softshell turtles were exported each week via Tampa International Airport. • Nonetheless, the great majority of turtles exported from the USA are farm raised. According to one estimate by the World Chelonian Trust, about 97% of 31.8 million animals harvested in the U.S. over a three-year period (November 4, 2002 – November 26, 2005) were exported. It has been estimated (presumably, over the same 2002–2005 period) that about 47% of the US turtle exports go to People's Republic of China (predominantly to Hong Kong), another 20% to Taiwan, and 11% to Mexico. • Turtles and tortoises are frequently depicted in popular culture as easygoing, patient, and wise creatures, snapping turtles aside. Due to their long lifespan, slow movement, sturdiness, and wrinkled appearance, they are an emblem of longevity and stability in many cultures around the world. • Turtles are regularly incorporated into human culture, with painters, photographers, poets, songwriters, and sculptors using them as subjects. • They have an important role in mythologies around the world, and are often implicated in creation myths regarding the origin of the Earth. • Sea turtles are a charismatic megafauna and are used as symbols of the marine environment and environmentalism. • Tortoise is the symbol of wisdom, and is able to defend itself on its own. It personifies Water, Moon, Mother Earth, Time, Immortality, and Fertility. Creation is associated with the tortoise and it is also believed that the tortoise bears the burden of the whole world. • The turtle has a prominent position as a symbol of steadfastness and tranquility in religion, mythology, and folklore from around the world. A tortoise’s longevity is suggested by its long lifespan and its shell, which was thought to protect it from any foe. In the cosmological myths of several cultures a World Turtle carries the world upon its back or supports the heavens. The mytheme of a World Tortoise, along with that of a world-bearing elephant, was discussed comparatively by Edward Burnett Tylor. • Turtles were presented in rock art. • For alchemists, the tortoise symbolizes chaos, or massa confusa. • In African fairy tales, the tortoise is the most clever animal. • Mzee (Swahili for "wise old man") is the name of a 130-year-old Aldabran tortoise. • Ijapa the tortoise (alternatively called Alabahun) is a trickster, accomplishing heroic deeds or getting into trouble in a cycle of tales told by the Yoruba of Nigeria and Benin Republic (West Africa). • Turtle "Shetyw", "Shetw", "Sheta", "shtyw" was common in Ancient Egyptian Art (especially Predynastic and Old Kingdom art). • Turtle fossils are the most common reptiles found in the Fayoum, including Testudo ammon, a tortoise as large as those living on the Galapagos Islands today. Charles Andrews first discovered these tortoises in the early 20th century. We also find the fossil remains of Podocnemis blanckenhorni and Stereogenys pelomedusa, where were both river and tropical land turtles. • The earliest representations of the Nile turtle date back to pre-dynastic times and were associated with magical significance that was meant to ward off evil. Amulets and objects with depictions of the turtles represent the turtle as a force to defend health and life. A pair of tortoises are sometimes depicted with a scale to represent the ebb and flow of the Nile's floodwaters. • Among Ptah's many creatures, Shetw (Tortoise, Turtle) was neither especially remarkable nor esteemed. Though excluded from lists of animal offerings to the deities, there are nevertheless great quantities of turtle and tortoise bones associated with archaeology at the great ceremonial complex at Heirakonpolis in Upper Egypt. This may suggests that sacrifices of Chelonians served some ritual or liturgical purpose within the ancient Egyptian ceremonial system. • As an aquatic animal, the turtle was associated with the Underworld. The turtle was associated with Set, and so with the enemies of Ra who tried to stop the solar barque as it traveled through the underworld. The turtle was associated with night, and so came to symbolize darkness and evil. • Since the XIXth Dynasty, and particularly in the Late and Greco-Roman periods, turtles were known to have been ritually speared by kings and nobles as evil creatures. • The Medical Ebers Papyrus cites the use of turtle carapaces and organs in some formulas, including one formula for the removal of hair. An ointment made from the brain of a turtle was the treatment for squirting. Parts of turtles were used to grind eye paint, which was applied both as a cosmetic and to protect eyes from infection and over-exposure to sun, dust, wind, and insects. • The flesh of Trionyx was eaten from Predynastic times to as late as the Old Kingdom, and later the flesh of turtles began to be considered an "abomination of Ra" and the role of these animals became an evil one. • Turtle carapaces and scutes from Red Sea Turtles (Chelonia Imbricata) were used in rings, bracelets, dishes, bowls, knife hilts, amulets, and combs. Land tortoise carapaces from Testudo Kleinmanni were used as sounding boards for lutes, harps and mandolins. Turtle shells were also used to make norvas, an instrument resembling a banjo. • In ancient Mesopotamia, the turtle was associated with the god Ea and was used on kudurrus as a symbol of Ea. The heron and the turtle is an Ancient Sumerian story that has survived to this day. • One of Aesop's fables is The Tortoise and the Hare. • The tortoise was the symbol of the ancient Greek city of Peloponnes: the seal of the city shows images of tortoises. The word Chelonian comes from the Greek Chelone, a tortoise god. The tortoise was a fertility symbol in Greek and Roman times, and an attribute of Aphrodite/Venus. • The playwright Aeschylus was said to have been killed by a tortoise dropped by a bird. • In China the traditional Chinese character symbolizing the turtle (&#40860;) shows a head like that of a snake at the top, to the middle left of the paws, to the middle right of the shell, and at the bottom of the tail. According to the “Book of ceremonies”, the single-horned rhino, phoenix, tortoise, and dragon are the four entities that possess spirit. Tortoise shells were used for divination during the ancient Chinese Shang Dynasty and carry the earliest specimens of Chinese writing. Some Chinese are of the opinion that their script was taken from the signs on the back of the tortoise. • For the Chinese, the tortoise is sacred and symbolizes longevity, power, and tenacity. It is said that the tortoise helped Pangu (also known as P'an Ku) create the world: the creator goddess Nuwa or Nugua cuts the legs off a sea turtle and uses them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong destroys the mountain that had supported the sky. The flat plastron and domed carapace of a turtle parallel the ancient Chinese idea of a flat earth and domed sky. • For the Chinese as well as the Indians, the tortoise symbolizes the universe. Quoting Pen T'sao, “the upper dome-shaped part of its back has various signs, which correspond with the constellations on the sky, and this is Yan; the lower part has many lines, which relate to the earth and is the Yin". • The tortoise is one of the “Four Fabulous Animals”, the most prominent beasts of China. These animals govern the four points of the compass, with the Black Tortoise the ruler of the north, symbolizing endurance, strength, and longevity. The tortoise and the tiger are the only real animals of the four, although the tortoise is depicted with supernatural features such as dragon ears, flaming tentacles at its shoulders and hips, and a long hairy tail representing seaweed and the growth of plant parasites found on older tortoise shells that flow behind the tortoise as it swims. • The Chinese believe that tortoises come out in the spring when they change their shells, and hibernate during the winter, which is the reason for their long life. • It was considered that the tortoise does not remember the day and month of its birth so calling someone a “tortoise” in China was considered offensive. • In Tibet, the tortoise is a symbol of creativity. • The tortoise is of the feng shui water element with the tiger, phoenix, and dragon representing the other three elements. According to the principles of feng shui the rear of the home is represented by the Black Tortoise, which signifies support for home, family life, and personal relationships. A tortoise at the back door of a house or in the backyard by a pond is said to attract good fortune and many blessings. Three tortoises stacked on top of each other represent a mother and her babies. In Daoist art, the tortoise is an emblem of the triad of earth-humankind-heaven. • The tortoise is a symbol of longevity, with a potential lifespan of ten thousand years. Due to its longevity, a symbol of a turtle was often used during burials. A burial mound might be shaped like a turtle, and even called a “grave turtle.” A carved turtle, known as bixi was used as a plinth for memorial tablets of high ranking officials during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) and the Ming periods (1368-1644 CE). Enormous turtles supported the memorial tablets of Chinese emperors and support the Kangxi Emperor's stele near Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing, China. • Tortoise shells were used for witchcraft and future forecasting. There are innumerable tales on the longevity of the tortoises and their ability to transform into other forms. • In Hindu mythology the world is thought to rest on the backs of four elephants who stand on the shell of a turtle. In Hinduism, Akupara is a tortoise who carries the world on his back, upholding the Earth and the sea. • One Avatar of Vishnu is the giant turtle Kurma. The Sri Kurmam Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India is dedicated to the Kurma avatar. Kurmavatara is also Kasyapa, the northern star, the first living being, forefather of Vishnu the protector. The plastron symbolizes the earthly world and the carapace the heavenly world. The Shatapatha Brahmana identifies the world as the body of Kurmaraja, the "king of tortoises", with the earth its plastron, the atmosphere its body, and the vault of the heavens its carapace. The tortoise holds the elephant, on which rests the earth. The elephant is the masculine symbol and the tortoise the feminine. • In Japan, the turtle has developed a more independent tradition than the other three prominent beasts of China. The minogame (&#34001;&#20096;), which is so old it has a train of seaweed growing on its back, is a symbol of longevity and felicity. A minogame has an important role in the well-known legend of Urashima Tar&#333;. • According to traditional Japanese beliefs, the tortoise is a haven for immortals and the world mountain, and symbolizes longevity, good luck, and support. It is the symbol of Kumpira, the god of seafaring people. • The tortoise is a favored motif by netsuke-carvers and other artisans, and is featured in traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies. There is also a well-known artistic pattern based on the nearly hexagonal shape of a tortoise’s shell. These patterns are usually composed of symmetrical hexagons, sometimes with smaller hexagons within them. • Many legends of Vietnam connect closely to the turtle. During the Yao dynasty of China, a Vietnamese King's envoy offered a sacred turtle (Vietnamese: Th&#7847;n Quy) which was carved in Khoa &#272;&#7849;u script on its carapace writing all things happening from the time Sky and Earth had been born. Yao King ordered a person to copy it and called it Turtle Calendar. • Another legend told that Kim Quy Deity (Golden Turtle Deity) came into sight and crawled after An D&#432;&#417;ng V&#432;&#417;ng's pray. Following the Deity's foot prints, An D&#432;&#417;ng V&#432;&#417;ng built Co Loa citadel as a spiral. An D&#432;&#417;ng V&#432;&#417;ng was given a present of Kim Quy Deity's claw to make the trigger (Vietnamese: l&#7851;y), one part of the crossbow (Vietnamese: n&#7887;) named Linh Quang Kim Tr&#7843;o Th&#7847;n N&#7887; that was the military secret of victorious Zhao Tuo. Stealing the sacred crossbow through a political marriage made Vietnam lose its sovereignty for 1000 years hence. • A 15th-century legend tells that Lê L&#7907;i returned his sacred sword named Thu&#7853;n Thiên (Heaven's Will) to Golden Turtle in L&#7909;c Th&#7911;y lake after he had won Ming's army. That is why L&#7909;c Th&#7911;y lake was renamed Sword Lake (Vietnamese: H&#7891; G&#432;&#417;m) or Returning Sword lake (Vietnamese: H&#7891; Hoàn Ki&#7871;m). This action symbolizes taking leave of weapons for peace. • In Taiwanese villages, paste cakes of flour shaped like turtles are made for festivals that are held in honor of the lineage patron deity. People buy these cakes at their lineage temple and take them home to assure prosperity, harmony, and security for the following year. • The World Turtle carries the Earth upon its back in myths from North America. In Cheyenne tradition, the great creator spirit Maheo kneads some mud he takes from a coot's beak until it expands so much that only Old Grandmother Turtle can support it on her back. In Mohawk tradition, the trembling or shaking of the Earth is thought of as a sign that the World Turtle is stretching beneath the great weight that she carries. • Indians of North America used combs made of tortoise shell to signify the margin between life and death. According to their beliefs, the cosmic tree emerges from the spine of the tortoise. • Turtles are beloved by South American Indians and have thus entered their mythologies. According to these myths, the Jebuti (land turtle) obtained its mottled shell in a fall to earth as it attempted to reach the heavens with the help of an eagle in order there to play a flute at a celebration. • In the Tahitian islands, the tortoise is the shadow of the gods and the lord of the oceans. • In Polynesia the tortoise personified the war god Tu. Drawing tattoo marks of a tortoise was a customary among warriors. • In a story from Admiralty Island, people are born from eggs laid by the World Turtle. There are many similar creation stories throughout Polynesia. • In the books by Terry Pratchett, the Discworld is carried on the backs of four elephants, who in turn rest on the back of the gigantic world turtle Great A'Tuin. In the Discworld novel Small Gods, the Great God Om manifests as a tortoise. • In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses the tortoise as an emblem of the resolve and persistence of the "Okies" that travel west across the US for a better life. • In Stephen King's Dark Tower Series, the turtle is a prominent figure. Named Maturin, the turtle is one of the twelve guardians of the beams which hold up the dark tower. There is also a small carving of the turtle which is described as a 'tiny god'. A rhyme is recited by the characters, "See the TURTLE of enormous girth, on his shell he holds the Earth." This rhyme and the turtle also show up in Stephen King's "It", where the turtle represents the opposition to the terror that is It. This and many other symbols cross over all of his books as they are all linked, but in the book desperation, the names of the guardians are referred to as can toi and it translates as devil gods, they come in the form of tiny rune like stones. • In children's literature such as Yertle the Turtle, the turtle is often depicted as a humorous character having a mixture of animal and human characteristics. • In the children's story, Esio Trot by Roald Dahl, a character named Mrs. Silver has a small pet tortoise, Alfie, who she loves very much. One morning, Mrs. Silver mentions to Mr. Hoppy that even though she has had Alfie for many years, her pet has only grown a tiny bit and has gained only 3 ounces in weight. She confesses that she wishes she knew of some way to make her little Alfie grown into a larger, more dignified tortoise. Mr. Hoppy suddenly thinks of a way to give Mrs. Silver her wish and (he hopes) win her affection. He eventually begins swapping the tortoise for bigger and bigger ones, with the illusion of using magic. • There is a character called the Mock Turtle in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In the illustration by John Tenniel, the Mock Turtle is depicted as a turtle with the head, hooves, and tail of a calf; referencing the real ingredients of mock turtle soup. • Duck and Cover was a six minute civil defense film that starred an animated character called Bert the Turtle. • In “Tortoise Wins by a Hare” Bugs Bunny raced the slow moving Cecil Turtle in an Aesop’s Fables spoof. • The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are comic book characters whose adventures have been adapted for TV and film. They are Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. They were created in 1983. They were a cultural phenomenon between 1988 and 1992, with their images ubiquitous in advertising, cinema, comics, magazines, music, newspapers, and television. Their action figures were top sellers around the world. • The television show Avatar: The Last Airbender features an enormous, ancient island-sized turtle called the "Lion Turtle." • Various Native American groups use the term "Great Turtle Island" as an alternate term for America, use of the term implying that the continent in question belongs to its indigenous inhabitants and that its conquest and settlement by Europeans was illegitimate. <center><img src="http://images.powerpets.com/image/item/toy/weemerseaturtle.gif"></center> History/Geneaology of the Turtle • Giant tortoises of the genera Geochelone, Meiolania, and others were relatively widely distributed around the world into prehistoric times, and are known to have existed in North and South America, Australia, and Africa. They became extinct at the same time as the appearance of man, and it is assumed humans hunted them for food. • The largest ever chelonian was Archelon ischyros, a Late Cretaceous sea turtle known to have been up to 4.6 metres (15 ft) long. • The first proto-turtles are believed to have existed in the late Triassic Period of the Mesozoic era, about 220 million years ago, and their shell, which has remained a remarkably stable body plan, is thought to have evolved from bony extensions of their backbones and broad ribs that expanded and grew together to form a complete shell that offered protection at every stage of its evolution, even when the bony component of the shell was not complete. This is supported by fossils of the freshwater Odontochelys semitestacea or "half-shelled turtle with teeth", from the late Triassic, which have been found near Guangling in southwest China. • Odontochelys displays a complete bony plastron and an incomplete carapace, similar to an early stage of turtle embryonic development. Prior to this discovery, the earliest-known fossil turtles were terrestrial and had a complete shell, offering no clue to the evolution of this remarkable anatomical feature. By the late Jurassic, turtles had radiated widely, and their fossil history becomes easier to read. • Their exact ancestry has been disputed. It was believed they are the only surviving branch of the ancient evolutionary grade Anapsida, which includes groups such as procolophonids, millerettids, protorothyrids, and pareiasaurs. All anapsid skulls lack a temporal opening, while all other extant amniotes have temporal openings (although in mammals the hole has become the zygomatic arch). The millerettids, protorothyrids, and pareiasaurs became extinct in the late Permian period, and the procolophonoids during the Triassic. • However, it was later suggested the anapsid-like turtle skull may be due to reversion rather than to anapsid descent. More recent morphological phylogenetic studies with this in mind placed turtles firmly within diapsids, slightly closer to Squamata than to Archosauria. • All molecular studies have strongly upheld the placement of turtles within diapsids; some place turtles within Archosauria, or, more commonly, as a sister group to extant archosaurs. Reanalysis of prior phylogenies suggests they classified turtles as anapsids both because they assumed this classification (most of them studying what sort of anapsid turtles are) and because they did not sample fossil and extant taxa broadly enough for constructing the cladogram. Testudines were suggested to have diverged from other diapsids between 200 and 279 million years ago, though the debate is far from settled. • The earliest known fully shelled turtle is the late-Triassic Proganochelys. The genus species already had many advanced turtle traits, and thus probably had many millions of years of preceding turtle evolution and species in its ancestry. It did lack the ability to pull its head into its shell (and it had a long neck), and had a long, spiked tail ending in a club, a body form similar to that of ankylosaurs, resulting from convergent evolution. • Turtles are divided into two extant suborders, the Cryptodira and the Pleurodira. The Cryptodira is the larger of the two groups and includes all the marine turtles, the terrestrial tortoises, and many of the freshwater turtles. The Pleurodira are sometimes known as the side-necked turtles, a reference to the way they withdraw their heads into their shells. This smaller group consists primarily of various freshwater turtles. • Turtles possess diverse Chromosome numbers (2N = 28-66) and a myriad of chromosomal rearrangements have occurred during evolution. Did you have fun reading those interesting and weird facts about the Turtle? Now all you need to do is comment in the comments section of this Site Update! In turn, I will add everyone who posts into the raffle where 5 lucky winners will win themselves 3 Action Team Redemption Points each (If there are more than 100 entries then the lucky 5 winners will receive 5 points each instead, 125 entries will mean 10 winners will be drawn instead of 5)! In approximately 24 hours I will post the results of this raffle! (This raffle will have a 24 hour period so everyone will get a chance to enter!). :) Good luck everyone :) See you next week for some more interesting fun facts!