Turtle Evolution

Twenty million years ago,
Give or take a billion more
There lived a turtle called Troilus
Who with all his ilk was hairless;
That’s not strange, you might infer,
Even now turtles have no fur,
But that is not all, dear reader,
Nature hadn’t spared this slow treader;
She had made him without his leathery shell,
How turtles felt then, I just can’t tell.

So little Troilus to the eagle went,
And pleaded with one knee bent,
“O king of birds, see my plight,
I am every predator’s delight,
In the Nile, I swim with fear,
For at least a croc is always near.
And the killer sharks, they say,
We turtles are all easy prey.

“So your majesty, to you I plead,
Listen to this earthling’s need,
All I ask is a pair of wings
To escape from this deadly ring.”

The eagle, solemn and astute,
Was among all birds, one of repute,
He stared at the bare body of Troilus
And thought, “Why, he’s truly hairless!”
Then to our young hero, said he,
“Your tale, I admit has touched me,
I’d love to have you in our tribe,
But the owl, the parrot and the kite
Will never accept you as their brother,
For dear turtle, you have no feather.
Even our weary balding vulture
Would despise your naked culture.”

Poor Troilus, dejected for his clan
Had yet another master plan
Walked halfway across the savannah
Dodging the lion and the hyena
Till he met Elsa, the elephant
And told her of his predicament
“Please help me, O mighty mother
To save the skin of my brothers!”
Elsa heard, and wept a lonely tear,
Moved by the plea so sincere,
She grabbed Troilus with her trunk,
And tossed him back without a plunk;
Soon a new alliance was formed,
Elephants and turtles a unique bond,
One riding atop the other,
Who’s who, I dare not bother,
The turtles felt safe in the height
And comfort of jumbos’ might.

But the lions soon eyed the strange herd
And ambushed the elephants on a night blurred.
While the huge creatures were escaping,
The turtles up there lost their footing
And fell in front of the drooling beasts
Who rejoiced at the turtle feast.
Yet Troilus and three of his mates,
Were lucky to survive that tragic date;
As their guardians were getting away
They fell on rocks that paved the way,
Battered, they lay there through the night,
Unnoticed by the gorging felines.

Then with the next sunrise,
When Troilus opened his eyes
And stretched his stubby lazy limbs,
He felt some weight upon his skin.
He looked at his comrades,
Saw on their backs were stony plates,
And from that day the turtle race
Is endowed with a carapace.