R U As Unique As This Turtle?

Alice in Wonderland, created by Lewis Carroll and appearing in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, is no stranger to the madcap. Therefore, she was entranced to learn of a rare yellow #turtle spotted in West Bengal, #India earlier this week. A farmer working in his paddy fields saw the turtle and decided to bring it home, struck by its unusual coloring. It was handed over to scientists who declared they had never seen anything quite like it before. The turtle’s golden hue shared by curry, sunshine and daffodils, is probably a result of lack of pigment–he simply didn’t make it to green, with stunning results. Technically, he is considered “albino” (possibly due to genetic mutation).

If he is deficient in pigment this turtle–an Indian flapshell– is nevertheless captivating the world, having gone viral on social media. Perhaps, Alice thinks, he is proof that what you lack in one department you can compensate for in another. In a mundane world the unusual packs a wallop, as Alice and her friends have always known.