We know more about reptiles than founder’s accent

Today’s question: Did George Washington speak with a British accent? Who knows? Obviously, there were no voice recording devices in Washington’s day so we have no way of knowing what the man sounded like. It’s possible he might have had what is known as a Scots-Irish accent that I am told can still be heard in remote areas of the Appalachians. The best bet is Washington’s accent was influenced by his British heritage, his Southern birth and immigrants around him, including Germans and African slaves.

What is the difference between a turtle, a terrapin and a tortoise?

All three are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature is based on that of the air or water around them. And all have shells and scales and lay eggs.

Turtles spend almost all their time in the water, coming to land to lay eggs or warm up in the sun. And since they are water creatures they have webbed feet. They are a bit more streamlined than the terrapins and tortoises.

Terrapins are a like lot turtles, but they prefer to spend their time in swampy areas or brackish water.

Tortoises might go into shallow water to cool off, but they are primarily land animals with short, stumpy feet and domed shells.

I see lizards in my backyard pause to do pushups while they run from shrub to shrub. I don’t see another lizard around. What are they doing?

Making themselves look bigger to scare off males intruding on their territory or to attract females. Just because you don’t see another lizard doesn’t mean they aren’t there.