@sargesprinkles  
The writers tried to “subtly” introduce death to a children audience.

@Deserter  
no, but now that you forced to look it into it more i meant “Brumation”. it’s what reptiles do.  
the reason i wrote rumination is because when i was talking to a biologist (learning biology and animal studies are a hobby of mine), they either said rumination or my bad, tricky hearing heard it that way and that’s what i went with.  
so, thanks for pointing that out and having me correct my mistake and no that wasn’t sarcasm.

@sargesprinkles  
You mean facultative hibernation.  
Rumination is the thing cows do where they regurgitate their food to chew it again.

Aww, look at that little baby turtle waving at Tank. This short is wholesome AF.

No one hates baby turtles.

Awww, he even tears up slowly!

@Psyga315  
They already had a pet short.

Tank confirmed to live in this universe.

Time for some nature based “actually”.  
1: turtles and most reptiles have no parental instincts at all. They lay their eggs and move on. Crocodilians are one of the only exceptions.  
2: Hibernation doesn’t work like most think. In this case, it would depend on where his species is from and since a lot of tortoises come from warm climates they would have no need to sleep in the winter. In fact what animals most people think is hibernation is what is called rumination, basically the same thing except not as deep as the animal will wake if the weather is warm enough, like say it’s 75 in February. Plus you can train it out of them in captivity.  
As a bonus many mammals people think hibernate don’t, either, like bears. It’s that ruminate thing. Bats are really the only ones who do and maybe shrews (didn’t learn about shrews). This means BTW that SpongeBob is wrong. Squirrels, especially ones from Texas, don’t hibernate or ruminate. Why do think they bury and store nuts and food for the winter?

His dirt nap was temporary

Note: The baby turtles died on the way back to their home ocean

@Apricot Strudel  
 
Tank’s still around.

@Apricot Strudel  
Tortoises only hibernate during the winter which it clearly isn’t

@Apricot Strudel  
Wrong Tank, this is the EQG Tank

@Apricot Strudel  
Turtle bros man. That’s all I can say. Turtle bros

Wait.. Hol up.

Tank is for feels.

@Apricot Strudel  
There really isn’t an explanation other than “it’s a cartoon and it’s supposed to be silly”

Why… Why does tank care? He isn’t the same family as the sea turtles… Heck he isn’t even the same species. Also, didn’t tank “hibernate”/die? He got his own overly emotional character dismissal episode and everything. Tank, stay dead dammit!