iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Happy #WorldTurtleDay! Did you know that many turtle species are at risk of extinction? In North America, turtle nesting season is almost here! Please be mindful when you see them on land and give nesting moms space. 🐢 Learn more on how to help your local turtles! 👇🏽

Snapping turtle sitting on brown coloured gravel to nest.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Finally got to see a Mink Frog! 🐸 They look similar to Green Frogs and young Bull Frogs. But they lack the dorsolateral folds, and have different webbing in the hind limbs and toes.

Mink frog in pond substrate. A red lily pad at the back. A green leaf at the front.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Accidentally packed the wrong lens today, because I was in a rush to catch the bus. 🚌 Photographing mammals with a macro lens was not something I had in mind! 🦝 Looks like a female!

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

It’s been a while since I got to see an Eastern Newt! Saw a few of them in a nearby pond too! 🦎 (There’s a real lack of emojis to represent herps! 😩)

Eastern Newt trying to hide under leaf litter.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

So nice to see critters again! I really enjoyed seeing these Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers today! 🐸

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

First herp sighting of the year for me! A lovely Red-backed Salamander from the Greater Toronto Area. 🌆🦎

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Green Iguanas look so prehistoric! I’m glad they are mostly herbivorous! 😍🦎

Close up image of green iguana’s head next to a tree trunk.

Green iguana resting on a tree branch looking up.

Green iguana yawning. Photo captured through many branches so the full head is not visible.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

A tale in four photos… This Green Heron took about 5 minutes to swallow this poor little frog! 🐸 Interestingly, the heron kept dipping the frog in water and rotating it so that the frog was facing the throat before swallowing it whole 😱

Green Heron with open mouth while swallowing the frog

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Cool bird alert! Osprey flying away with a fish! Lunch must be delicious! 🐟🦅

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Cuban Knight Anole! Largest anole in the Dactyloidae family. I really love their big heads! 🦎

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

The audacity of this otter to munch on the baby turtle next to me, a conservation biologist working on protecting turtles. 😭 Feels like a big F U to me! 😂

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

What is a turtle biologist’s worst nightmare? 🤔 I present an example here! 🐢🦦 A baby turtle was devoured by these two otters! 🥹

An otter eating a turtle while another otter watches.

Two otters in water. One has a turtle in its mouth.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Lately, I am obsessed with lizards! I mean, look at their adorable curly tails! 😍🦎 And, of course, they are called Curly-tailed Lizards! 🤭

Curly tail lizard on a rock facing right.

A curly tailed lizard with a nubby tail.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Cute frog alert! I don’t know what species this is or whether it’s even native to Florida, but I really like how this photo turned out! 🐸

Treefrog hanging on to leaf. Water droplet on its butt.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Green Herons are such beautiful birds! And I love this photograph I took in Florida couple of days ago. Could have been a delicious snack if the dragonfly was caught. 🤭

Green Heron staring at dragonfly on the end of the branch.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Sneaky Snapper! 🐢 Super exciting to see a snapper basking in the local city pond! 🌆 They have become very used to human presence.

Snapping turtle floating and basking in a pond. The pond is covered in lily pads.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Turtle alert! 🐢 Look at this Blanding’s Turtle walking all over a poor Painted Turtle. 🤭🙊😅

Blanding’s Turtle walking over Painted Turtles on a log.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

I almost got a super cool shot! A damselfly on a praying mantis.

A blue damselfly landed on a praying mantis on the ground.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

When all the basking spots are taken, you have to float in the pondweed! 🐢

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

A beautiful sunny day to see a Blanding’s Turtle! 🐢

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

They are actually super tiny. I almost didn’t see them either. Probably smaller than a rice grain.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Got these cool photographs while on a short walk around the block. I love macrophotography! Lots to learn still though.

Close up of a grasshopper on a leaf stem.

Close up of two butterflies on goldenrod flowers

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

And then the totally unimpressed look here. 🥺

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Always a great day when you get to photograph some cool insects! Left: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Right: Metallic Green Bee

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Some days you gotta scream into the void like this Hickory Tussock Moth🐛

Hickory Tussock Moth raising upper half of the body.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Hatchlings are emerging! Look at the little sand beard on this baby snapper! 🐢

Baby snapping turtle in sandy beach. Wet sand on its chin.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Diversity in Indonesia in a snapshot! 🐸🐍🪶🐝

Snake species green in colour looking forward. Likely an ahatulla sp.

Two brownish birds hiding in lily-like leaves with stems and looking at each other.

A bee inside a a red flower. The bee is upside down. Two more flowers in the background with flower buds.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

What a cool snake! This is an Ahatulla from Indonesia! I haven’t nailed the species yet. 🐍 Maybe a tropical herpetologist can help me. 😄 It’s a lifer for me too! 🫢

Ahatulla species close up image at night.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Snapper spotted! 🐢 This female was spotted on land near her usual nesting spot. She arrived there around 9:30 AM and decided not to nest. She’ll be back again soon! Photo taken with Zoom lens.

Female Snapping Turtle sitting on grass looking at yellow flowers.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Talk about ecosystem services! This Ebony Jewelwing was eating a mosquito! 🦟

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Saw a tiny Wood Frog today! 🐸So exciting! 😊 I like both these photos because one shows the habitat and the other shows the individual very well!

Wood frog on a mossy log in a shallow pond. Some vegetation in the foreground.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Turtles have started nesting in southern Ontario! Keep an eye out for nesting mammas! 🐢 Make sure to give them space because if spooked, they can be egg-bound! Urban turtles may tolerate your presense but others may not. 🌆

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

It's World Turtle Day! 🐢 And today, we celebrate turtles and tortoises around the world. Sadly, many species are at-risk due to threats including habitat loss, poaching, road mortality, & invasive species. Post your favourite turtle photos and/or facts about turtles and help spread the word.

Close up photograph of Blanding's Turtle in a wetland.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Today’s adorable sighting! What a cute little raccoon. 🦝

Baby racoon on a tree. Green leaves surround the raccoon.

Baby racoon on a tree looking towards the right. Leaves of the tree on the foreground.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Wanted to see basking snappers today. But only saw Red-eared Sliders and Green Frogs. 🐢🐸 #UrbanHerpetology

Juvenile Red-eared Slider basking on a log.

Green Frog sitting in shallow water. Small wetland shrubs around the frog.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Urban nature walks are essential for a healthy mind!

View of a wide and shallow river with two banks on either side.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I really love how the left most Painted Turtle is “lying low” 😆🐢

Three painted turtles basking on a log side by side.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Today I came across a local urban pond with so many Red-eared Sliders. They are not native to Canada, so these must be former pets! They were huge compared to the native Painted Turtles. 🐢 This is why turtles don’t make good pets. They get very big and it’s a life-long commitment.

Red-eared Slider shedding scutes on a boulder. Logs in the background.

Red-eared slider poking its head out of the water.

Two Red-eared sliders basking next to a painted turtle on a flat boulder in an artificial pond.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Sunny mornings bring snakes out! What a gorgeous Garter Snake! 🐍

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Painted Turtles are basking everywhere! 🐢

Two Painted Turtles basking on a log. Another log on the foreground.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Can’t decide which photograph I like more. 🐸 Also, I was confused whether this was a very brown Green Frog or a Wood Frog. Feel free to make an educated guess! ☺️

Close up of Wood Frog on a log. Mossy foreground.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

I only had a split second before this Painted Turtle jumped in the water, but I kinda like how the photo turned out! 🐢 Photo probably needs a bit of editing but I am too excited not to share it immediately.

Painted turtle basking on a mossy log. A branch sticking out of the water curving towards the turtle.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Very excited to see this snapper today! 🐢 They blend in with the logs, don’t they? ☺️

Close up of Snapping Turtle basking on a log.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Fun story, I actually caught 5 individuals. Wonder which one made the cover. 😄 One has a radio-transmitter attached to them for telemetry purposes.

Five juvenile Blanding's Turtles on mossy wetland vegetation. Two at the front facing photographer. Three at the back also facing forward. One turtle at the front is poking their head out and one in the middle of back row is doing the same. Other three are inside the shell.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I'm super excited to see that one of my Blanding's Turtle photos made the cover of the recent Ichthyology and Herpetology journal! 🐢

Journal cover of Ichthyology and Herpetology with a Blanding's Turtle photo in the middle.

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Tharusha Wijewardena 🐢 @turtleecology.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

I spy something cute! 🥰 A few Painted Turtles were out basking today! It was around 8C/46F and sunny! 🐢☀️

Painted Turtle hanging onto log to bask in a small pond. Logs in the background.

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