Unlike most 30-somethings, Stella didn’t cringe when the camera came out. He (yes, he) actually pushed his face closer, investigating the lens hopefully. The Canon didn’t turn out to be tasty, though, so Stella ignored it for the rest of the photographer’s visit.
His attention wasn’t wandering for long, though, as there’s always something happening in Amy Kelley’s biology lab in the Science and Engineering building. It’s here that Stella, a charismatic African spur thigh tortoise, spends his days poking around precociously and basking in the glow of human affection.
“He’s very popular, and he’s a big hit on campus tours,” said Kelley, who cares for Stella with fellow life science specialist Peg Angie. “Union employees bring their families to see Stella.”
While the turtle’s moniker causes a bit of he-she confusion for visitors, it makes a good story.
“In 2005, we got a call from a man who asked if we wanted a tortoise,” Kelley said. “So when he came to us, he was a pet and had already been named Stella.”
“No one knew he was actually male,” she added, chuckling. “We do now, but the name just kind of stuck.”
Stella, who weighs in at about 32 pounds, wears a golden brown and light mahogany shell that’s 13 inches wide and 18 inches long. While that probably makes him one of the biggest turtles most people have ever seen, Stella’s small by African spur thigh standards.
“He’s not even close to full-grown,” Kelley said, picking Stella up gently. “African spur thighs are the third largest tortoise species in the world – they can weigh up to 150 pounds.”
While Stella has plenty of room to grow and thrive here at Union, Kelley admits he can be a challenge sometimes.
“In most situations, these tortoises do not make good pets. They’re not litter-box trained and they get huge,” she said. “Zoos are over-run with them because people don’t realize this.
“These turtles really belong in the wild.”
But since Stella can’t easily be re-introduced to his native habitat in the Southern Sahara desert, Kelley and Angie do their best to make him feel at home.
“Every day he’s here wandering around the lab for exercise, and at night, he hangs out in a kiddie pool of hay that’s equipped with special lights and a heating pad,” Kelley said. “His diet consists primarily of organic hay since his digestive system is designed for nutrient-poor desert grasses, but Stella also gets fresh greens like romaine lettuce and kale everyday.”
Stella’s comfortable life here at Union isn’t just good for him; it’s also good for students.
“The biology department feels it’s important to have living things,” Kelley said. “Living things are what inspire people to learn about biology.”