Remember when dozens of mating turtles shut down a whole runaway at JFK International Airport in 2009? It was only the start of a turtle invasion that has vexed travelers and perplexed biologists for years. But we may have figured out why turtles are all over the tarmac, and it has to do with raccoons.
Turtles can be a major hazard on the runway, and they’ve been responsible for many a delayed flight. Diamondback terrapins crawl into JFK from nearby Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, but they didn’t start causing major problems until a few years ago. Airport has since removed hundreds of the turtles and laid down miles of black tubing under the airport’s perimeter fence.
via Gizmodo
Image: Diamondback terrapin, BS Thurner Hof/Wikimedia Commons
