Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project
@thetortoiseproject.bsky.social
Writing a book on the amazing lives and worlds of tortoises and the people dedicated to saving them around the world. Due out in fall 2026, by WW Norton.
Pinned
Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean
The animals graze the vegetation into a picturesque turf, fertilize the soil with their dung and disperse seeds over large distances
www.smithsonianmag.com
Dispatch from Aldabra: Tortoise dung is one of the great pillars of Aldabra’s ecosystem — supporting all manner of life and ecological processes.
Loved writing this for
@smithsonianmag.bsky.social.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Loved writing this for
@smithsonianmag.bsky.social.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
This was the best announcement of the whole weekend. See you there! @sciencewriting1.bsky.social
NSWA showed up at @sciencewriting1.bsky.social conference in Chicago last weekend!
The big news—the 2026 NASW conference will be in the PNW. Join us in Corvallis at @oregonstateuniv.bsky.social in October.
The big news—the 2026 NASW conference will be in the PNW. Join us in Corvallis at @oregonstateuniv.bsky.social in October.
November 10, 2025 at 10:03 PM
This was the best announcement of the whole weekend. See you there! @sciencewriting1.bsky.social
Today, I enjoyed learning how tortoises got to Noah's ark—this had always stumped me. I now see that my question was based on mistaken assumptions and/or ignorance about the biblical account.
answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/ho...
answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/ho...
How Did Animals Get TO the Ark?
Did they swim across continents to get to the ark? Was Noah an expert animal wrangler?
answersingenesis.org
October 25, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Today, I enjoyed learning how tortoises got to Noah's ark—this had always stumped me. I now see that my question was based on mistaken assumptions and/or ignorance about the biblical account.
answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/ho...
answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/ho...
In the News: The Turtle Conservancy. They're a wonderful org doing great work to save turtles and tortoises from extinction. Take a look behind the scenes with Karen Palmer from @sfgate.com.
www.sfgate.com/centralcoast...
www.sfgate.com/centralcoast...
One of California's coolest hidden gems is in a town that's quietly on the rise
It's home to more than 40 species of an endangered reptile.
www.sfgate.com
October 21, 2025 at 11:46 PM
In the News: The Turtle Conservancy. They're a wonderful org doing great work to save turtles and tortoises from extinction. Take a look behind the scenes with Karen Palmer from @sfgate.com.
www.sfgate.com/centralcoast...
www.sfgate.com/centralcoast...
Road-tripping through the spiny forest of Madagascar to chase tortoises? Count me in! Check out my blog post about my wildest reporting trek yet. Big thanks to Turtle Survival Alliance for inviting me along.
Read the full story here (and see the photos) at:
thetortoiseproject.com/2025/10/10/m...
Read the full story here (and see the photos) at:
thetortoiseproject.com/2025/10/10/m...
October 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Road-tripping through the spiny forest of Madagascar to chase tortoises? Count me in! Check out my blog post about my wildest reporting trek yet. Big thanks to Turtle Survival Alliance for inviting me along.
Read the full story here (and see the photos) at:
thetortoiseproject.com/2025/10/10/m...
Read the full story here (and see the photos) at:
thetortoiseproject.com/2025/10/10/m...
Listen to Jane Goodall’s words — released after her death. “Choose the difference that you want to make.”
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
October 7, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Listen to Jane Goodall’s words — released after her death. “Choose the difference that you want to make.”
Slow and steady? Try fast and flashy. In Venezuela, they’re painting tortoises and racing them for prizes in a colorful celebration of St. Francis day. The crowd cheers, lettuce waves, and one 20‑year‑old shell‑champ named Roberto crosses the finish line in style.
www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstor...
www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstor...
Painted tortoises race for prizes in colorful Venezuelan celebration
Residents of San Francisco de Asis in Venezuela's Aragua state celebrated the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on Friday, October 3, with a tortoise race featuring 80 painted and decorated competi...
www.gmanetwork.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Slow and steady? Try fast and flashy. In Venezuela, they’re painting tortoises and racing them for prizes in a colorful celebration of St. Francis day. The crowd cheers, lettuce waves, and one 20‑year‑old shell‑champ named Roberto crosses the finish line in style.
www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstor...
www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstor...
Profound words on democracy — seen in a Bangladeshi newspaper. “Our goal is clear: to create a democratic order where power is balanced, where no autocrat can ever return, where no elected leader can destroy democracy …”
October 1, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Profound words on democracy — seen in a Bangladeshi newspaper. “Our goal is clear: to create a democratic order where power is balanced, where no autocrat can ever return, where no elected leader can destroy democracy …”
Bangladesh Journal: On the 14th floor of the Marriott in Dhaka, I found the metaphor I was looking for.
October 1, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Bangladesh Journal: On the 14th floor of the Marriott in Dhaka, I found the metaphor I was looking for.
Bangladesh Journal: Dhaka's Turtle Conservation Center is home to several species of turtles and tortoises — it's a breeding and rearing facility. Caesar Rahman introduced me to a few of the stars. Here: an Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys).
October 1, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Bangladesh Journal: Dhaka's Turtle Conservation Center is home to several species of turtles and tortoises — it's a breeding and rearing facility. Caesar Rahman introduced me to a few of the stars. Here: an Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys).
The Tortoise Project is on the move again — now in Dhaka, Bangladesh. So far, rickshaws are everywhere and tortoises nowhere. But that will soon change.
September 29, 2025 at 12:41 PM
The Tortoise Project is on the move again — now in Dhaka, Bangladesh. So far, rickshaws are everywhere and tortoises nowhere. But that will soon change.
Reposted by Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project
Whoa, wildlife crossings got the Nathan Pyle treatment! Honestly, given what we know about the social lives of ungulate herds, the complexity of their spatial memories, and the importance of the lead female in dictating behavior, he’s not too far off. #roadecology
September 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Whoa, wildlife crossings got the Nathan Pyle treatment! Honestly, given what we know about the social lives of ungulate herds, the complexity of their spatial memories, and the importance of the lead female in dictating behavior, he’s not too far off. #roadecology
Yes — what @fuchsiarius.bsky.social said! We’re at the end of an amazing experience in South Africa.
Totsiens, Kapstad! Starting on the long trek home to the PNW this morning as our glorious adventures in one of the world’s most richest floral kingdoms comes to an end. The diversity of plants we saw just in Namaqualand and the Karoo has been amazing. 1/2
September 26, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Yes — what @fuchsiarius.bsky.social said! We’re at the end of an amazing experience in South Africa.
Voting in Seychelles today — development on Assumption island could sway the outcome. I saw the beginning stages of construction, in January, and this really is bad news. Trigger alert: photo of crushed giant #tortoise.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seychelles election: The row over Assumption Island could decide next president
India, Qatari royals, China and ecologists have their own, very different, views on Assumption Island's future.
www.bbc.com
September 26, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Voting in Seychelles today — development on Assumption island could sway the outcome. I saw the beginning stages of construction, in January, and this really is bad news. Trigger alert: photo of crushed giant #tortoise.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The charms of Indigo snakes — www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2...
What is the largest snake in Alabama? Meet the giant that eats rattlesnakes
Meet Alabama’s longest snake: a gentle giant that hunts rattlesnakes, lives in sandy burrows and is protected by law. Have you seen one?
www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
September 26, 2025 at 6:26 AM
The charms of Indigo snakes — www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2...
What does a Central Asian Tortoise do all day, anyway? This documentary by Saxon Bosworth will tell you. The sad news is that this trailer is all we get for now. When the film comes out on streaming, I'll let you know! #TASBAQA
A Day in the Life of a Central Asian Tortoise - Аналитический интернет-журнал Власть
Осы мақаланың қазақша нұсқасын оқыңыз. Читайте этот материал на русском.
vlast.kz
September 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
What does a Central Asian Tortoise do all day, anyway? This documentary by Saxon Bosworth will tell you. The sad news is that this trailer is all we get for now. When the film comes out on streaming, I'll let you know! #TASBAQA
Bluesky is becoming the go-to for scientists ditching the noise of X. More civility, more engagement, and way more clicks. #scicomm #BlueskyScience
www.wired.com/story/bluesk...
www.wired.com/story/bluesk...
Scientists Are Flocking to Bluesky
Academics once loved Twitter—but in the age of X they’ve abandoned it in droves.
www.wired.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Bluesky is becoming the go-to for scientists ditching the noise of X. More civility, more engagement, and way more clicks. #scicomm #BlueskyScience
www.wired.com/story/bluesk...
www.wired.com/story/bluesk...
Hatching success! India's Manipur Zoological Garden welcomes 28 baby Asian Giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei). This tortoise — inhabitant of the forest — is the region's largest. Congrats!
nenow.in/north-east-n...
nenow.in/north-east-n...
Manipur Zoological Garden successfully hatches Asian Giant Tortoises for the first time
Manipur Zoological Garden, with India Turtle Conservation Program successfully conducted first artificial incubation of Asian Giant Tortoises
nenow.in
August 26, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Hatching success! India's Manipur Zoological Garden welcomes 28 baby Asian Giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei). This tortoise — inhabitant of the forest — is the region's largest. Congrats!
nenow.in/north-east-n...
nenow.in/north-east-n...
Kenya Journal: We found a beautiful Pancake tortoise this morning at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. We got its stats, notched it, and returned it to its crevice.
August 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Kenya Journal: We found a beautiful Pancake tortoise this morning at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. We got its stats, notched it, and returned it to its crevice.
#MyBlueDot — The Tortoise Project goes to Kenya.
August 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
#MyBlueDot — The Tortoise Project goes to Kenya.
Kenya Diary: you don’t have to guess how Pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri) got their name. Adapted to life in a narrow crevice.
August 14, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Kenya Diary: you don’t have to guess how Pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri) got their name. Adapted to life in a narrow crevice.
Kenya Diary: First day in the field on a Pancake tortoise survey. We discovered 10 living in a rock crevice.
August 14, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Kenya Diary: First day in the field on a Pancake tortoise survey. We discovered 10 living in a rock crevice.
Dateline: Nairobi. The Tortoise Trail has led me to Kenya to see its amazing pancake tortoises. But first, a day of rest. Jetlag. My hotel has an amazing garden full of wonders.
August 9, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Dateline: Nairobi. The Tortoise Trail has led me to Kenya to see its amazing pancake tortoises. But first, a day of rest. Jetlag. My hotel has an amazing garden full of wonders.
Reposted by Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project
Right on the heels of #WorldOceanDay, it’s US pub day for REEFS OF TIME: WHAT FOSSILS REVEAL ABOUT CORAL SURVIVAL @princetonupress.bsky.social. I hope its story of reef resilience brings some joy in this unsettled time. 🧪💙📚🪸https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691247335/reefs-of-time
Reefs of Time
How fossilized reefs hold clues to the survival of corals in the Anthropocene
press.princeton.edu
June 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Right on the heels of #WorldOceanDay, it’s US pub day for REEFS OF TIME: WHAT FOSSILS REVEAL ABOUT CORAL SURVIVAL @princetonupress.bsky.social. I hope its story of reef resilience brings some joy in this unsettled time. 🧪💙📚🪸https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691247335/reefs-of-time
Ever feel like what you need is a week with turtle folk? I do — and I got that at the Turtle Survival Alliance symposium last week in Chattanooga. Overheard: “This is the best week of my year.” True!
July 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Ever feel like what you need is a week with turtle folk? I do — and I got that at the Turtle Survival Alliance symposium last week in Chattanooga. Overheard: “This is the best week of my year.” True!
Of all the places to hide turtles! Bra-smuggling fail: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Florida woman tries to smuggle turtles through security in her BRA
A Florida woman attempted to smuggle turtles through airport security by hiding them inside her bra - leaving one creature to meet a grim fate.
www.dailymail.co.uk
July 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Of all the places to hide turtles! Bra-smuggling fail: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...