One of the most popular pages on the Blue Grotto website is the one titled Meet Virgil the Turtle. The centerpiece of this page is a short video called Five things you didn’t know about Virgil the Turtle. Among the things it covers:
- Virgil is not a snapping turtle. She is a much more benign Florida Softshell Turtle.
- You can’t pet Virgil the same way you would a dog or cat. She won’t feel it through her shell and will just swim away.
- Virgil has a “Mini Me.” This is a second softshell turtle named Turbo.
- Virgil is older than you think. She turned 65 this year and now qualifies for Medicare.
- Despite the name, “Virgil” is actually a girl.
There is a lot more to Virgil than just this, however. So here are five more things you’ll want to know about this adorable reptile.
5 Virgil is anything but slow
Turtles and tortoises are often characterized as being slow. Miss Virgil is anything but. If you are among the first in the water on any given day, you may be greeted by the sight of Virgil “running” up to you just as fast as her little legs can swim. In fact, she could probably outswim you.
4 Virgil will stick her neck out for you
When most turtles see something they perceive as a potential threat, they immediately retract their necks and often their heads back into their shells. Virgil is different. In her world, divers are the least threatening thing she encounters.
When interacting with divers on one of the platforms, Virgil will often stick her neck all the way out. And guess what? It is a very long neck indeed.
3 Virgil is not entirely aquatic
While Miss Virgil prefers being in the water, she does not spend all her time there. You will often see her sunning herself atop her Styrofoam “lily pad” at the far end of the Grotto. Sometimes she just crawls up on the stairs to do so and expects everyone to step around her.
Softshell turtles are perfectly capable of functioning on land. In fact, they must do so to lay eggs. To date, Virgil has not graced us with any offspring. However, this might change if she succumbs to Turbo’s persistent attention.
2 From “Mini Me to “Maxi Me”
When we produced the Five things you didn’t know about Virgil the Turtle video six years ago, we characterized her little buddy Turbo as “small” and “reclusive.” This is no longer true.
Turbo has grown quite a bit and is now nearly as big as Virgil. He also seems to be quite a bit more comfortable around people. He may not run up to you the way Virgil does, but he is less likely to run away at the sight of divers.
You are most likely to see Virgil and Turbo together. Virgil is also less likely to ignore Turbo the way she once did.
1 Virgil loves the feel of fabric
We learn new things about Miss Virgil all the time. Here is something we recently discovered.
Were you to rub Virgil’s nose with a bare finger, she might tolerate it for a second or two before leaving.
However, if you do it while wearing wetsuit gloves, she becomes mesmerized. We’ve seen her sit still for several minutes while divers do this.
It’s like what happens if you scratch a shark under the snout. The shark enters a state of tonic immobility. We are not sure if something similar is happening to Virgil or she just likes the sensation.
So, when was the last time you got to interact with Miss Virgil? Maybe it’s time for a return visit to Blue Grotto.