Pond turtles are excellent at staying still. They spend a lot of the day sunbathing on a warm rock just above the water, with their head and feet tucked in. The moment they hear a footstep, they slide back into the water with barely a ripple. Most visitors walk right past them.
Sunbathing isn't just being lazy - turtles are cold-blooded. That means their body temperature matches the temperature around them. They need the warm sun to get their muscles working properly for swimming and hunting later in the day.
Their diet is mostly little water creatures - small fish, water insects, snails and tadpoles. They are very patient hunters. A turtle will sit completely still on the bottom of a pool, then suddenly snap its neck out faster than you can blink.
Maltese pond turtles are rare today, mostly because so many of the valleys where they used to live have been built on or filled in. Conservation groups work hard to keep their remaining pools clean. Some pools even have signs asking visitors to walk softly.