Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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The Softshell Survives! The softshell turtle is perhaps more vulnerable, Having only a leathery, pierceable carapace and belly, Compared to the hardened dome of its turtle-cousins. (That is the first assumption one might mistakenly make.) Perhaps its streamlined morphology for quick escapes Compensates for that, As well as its feisty temperament for defence. But somehow, through evolutionary time, Evolution, through natural selection, has 'allowed' this creature, To maintain a firm population-survival For most of its species on our planet. Always withhold conclusions based on uninformed assumptions. Frank Maurer 17 August 2026 1010 Hours.