SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - He was adopted as a newborn, has a fully grown pet tortoise named Sammy, and sports 10 or 11 tattoos by his own count.

Colin Kaepernick is finding out fast that just about everything becomes fair game - and very much public - when you're a starting quarterback in the NFL. Personal, professional and otherwise. Since the second-year pro took over as San Francisco's starter under center three games ago, further details of his life have emerged. Even stories from a birth mother who uses Twitter to root for a son she gave away as a teenage mom and hopes to connect with one day.

Kaepernick said Wednesday he understands there are pressures on and off the field with his job, but prefers to move forward this week from a disappointing loss at St. Louis and get ready for Sunday's home game against the Miami Dolphins.

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