On the heels of Punxsutawney Phil’s declaration of six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day, the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum is looking to implement a weather-based animal of their own.
Tomothy the Turtle is an eastern box turtle who saw his shadow on Feb. 2, prophesying six more weeks of winter, similar to Punxsutawney Phil.
The Edelman Fossil Park, located in Mantua, opened to the public back in March 2025 and has since been named by USA Today as number two on their Reader’s Choice Top 10 in Best New Museum list.
Dr. Callan Tweedie, the manager and veterinarian of Edelman Fossil Park’s live animal exhibit, Critter Cove, was eager to discuss Tomothy’s arrival at the museum.
“He’s a great turtle, and that was a fun thing to do. He did see his shadow, so we’ll see what happens in the future with that one,” said Dr. Callan, “If you saw his social media video, we did it behind the scenes this year. We may or may not in the future try to make an annual event with him.”
While treats were involved, Tomothy is a turtle that loves to explore but needs time to properly adapt to being around humans. Once he does, he’ll soon become an ambassador animal for the Edelman Fossil Park. While Tomothy the Turtle is not an exhibit animal, he will be involved in the museum’s future programming.
“We recognize that all our animals are, at their core, animals that are a wild species. So we have to replicate that under human care, living with us at the museum. So, however we can kind of make their day interesting and change out what they’re doing every day is great,” said Dr. Callan.
Dr. Callan explained that Tomothy is a representative of both the past and the current day working in tandem, all of which can be seen at the Edelman Fossil Park and Museum.
“Turtles have been around a long time; they’re really remarkable creatures. He is a modern-day species that is native to this area. He kind of represents us. He’s something that you can find here in New Jersey – he represents that, so it’s really cool to have both of those things in this museum. We have the prehistoric, we teach about all of that, but we also have our modern-day critters,” said Dr. Callan.
Angie Mazahreh, a second-year athletic training major, has not been to the Edelman Fossil Park just yet, but she would probably be interested in the event’s implementation of Tomothy the Turtle at the Fossil Park.
“I would probably watch it once or twice, I like turtles,” said Mazahreh, “I feel like a turtle is better than a groundhog.”
Similarly, Jay’Senia O’Neal, a sophomore biological science major, showed interest in a potential Groundhog Day-adjacent event despite knowing very little about the museum.
“I do not keep up with its programs, but I pass by it every single day with its sign,” said O’Neal. “I wouldn’t be opposed to an event surrounding Tomothy.”
While many students are unaware of the potential of a Tomothy-centric event due to the nature of the closed event on Feb. 2, it may prove to be a lucrative venture for Edelman Fossil Park and Rowan as a whole. Rowan may have its own Groundhog Day, or in this case, Turtle Day, on its hands.
For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]
