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Turtle Watching in Newton (Revised)

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Turtle Watching in Newton (Revised) NEWSLETTER Newton’s land trust working to preserve open space since 1961 FALL ISSUE NEWTONCONSERVATORS.ORG • FALL 2020 2020 Officers and Directors Ted Kuklinski, Turtle Watching in Newton President Chris Hepburn, Vice President veryone seems focused on bird watching, but I like to watch turtles. And now is a great AnnaMaria Abernathy, time to watch them in Newton. My “top turtle in Newton” is probably the eastern Secretary Epainted turtle because it is the champion basker and, like a wood frog, can freeze Katherine Howard, without dying in the cold New England winters. And it is also the most common turtle in Treasurer Massachusetts, making it the easiest to watch. Beth Wilkinson, Past President Painted turtles are reptiles and cold David Backer blooded. To keep their temperature Peter Barrer warm enough, they climb onto logs Barbara Bates and rocks to lie in the sun with their Dan Brody Bonnie Carter legs, neck, and head extended as Michael Clarke far out of their shells as possible to Margaret Doris maximize the sun’s warmth on their Henry Finch skin. This can mean balancing on their Robert Fizek bottom shell (called the plastron) while Maurice Gilmore they bask. Painted turtles will bask for Daniel Green at least several hours a day and have William Hagar PHOTO: BARBARA BATES been known to bask on the backs of Ken Mallory Champions at basking, Eastern painted turtles are the only loons and, more startlingly, on the George Mansfield known turtles to have scutes arranged in straight lines across backs of snapping turtles! I find this Nyssa Patten their carapaces. last claim to be somewhat odd since Larry Smith snapping turtles often bask in the water, slightly below the surface, making them look like Advisors shadows in ponds. Margaret Albright Lisle Baker In addition to painted turtles, the snapping John Bliss turtle is common in Newton. You can Lee Breckenridge Lalor Burdick observe both of these turtles around ponds Lucy Caldwell-Stair and streams from spring until the fall weather Michael Collora turns cold. Late July and August can be an Ann Dorfman especially engaging time to watch since both Bart Hague turtles’ eggs usually hatch then. Alison Leary William Leitch How can you identify the turtle you are Don Lubin watching? Brooks Mathewson Eric Olson I look at the color of the turtle’s skin and Richard Primack shell, plus the shape of the shell and size of PHOTO: W. LUTZ Eric Reenstierna the turtle. I’ll describe only the two most Male eastern painted turtle’s middle claws on front feet Jon Regosin fi are 2-3 times longer, distinguishing them from females. Patricia Robinson common Newton turtles, but you can nd Jane Sender excellent turtle “fact sheets” at: William Shaevel https://www.mass.gov/guides/turtles-of-massachusetts for all our native turtles. Willis Wang Bruce Wenning Continued on page 2 ...Turtle Watching in Newton continued from page 1 There are several subspecies You can catch of painted turtle, but we glimpses of the encounter mostly the common snapping eastern painted turtle turtle (Chelydra (Chrysemys picta picta). serpentina) in Cold Eastern painted turtles have Spring Park and the a creamy pale yellow or Newton Cemetery PHOTO: BARBARA BATES sometimes orangish plastron & Arboretum. The Female eastern painted turtles are (bottom shell) and a dull common snapper thicker top to bottom than males black to brown or olive PHOTO: G. RUSSELL can grow to 20 to allow space for eggs to develop carapace (top shell). It is Common snapping turtles have keeled scutes inches in length – notice the domed look on both the only known turtle with on their carapace, but the keels fade with age. and weigh over 35 carapace & plastron. its carapace’s scutes (the pounds. Its carapace sections or plates of the ranges in color from blackish brown to olive and has shell) arranged in straight three pronounced ridges that fade with age. The yellowish lines across its back. Eastern plastron is tiny, and the turtle cannot withdraw its limbs painted turtles have yellow into its shell for protection. This large heavily muscled turtle streaks and blotches on looks positively prehistoric, especially if you can see the their heads and necks and stegosaurus-like plates sticking up from its tail. The species sometimes red streaks on name “serpentina” refers to this turtle’s very long neck. their legs or the marginals Never touch this turtle unless you are touching the rear half of their shells (the sections of its carapace since its snapping jaws can reach the front half PHOTO: W. LUTZ between the carapace easily! Turtles cannot leave their shells and the plastron). Eastern because their spines are fused to their carapaces. Notice the serrated trailing painted turtles are mid-size Why are these turtles on the move now? edge of this common snapping turtles, growing to about turtle shell. six inches in length over Females nest from late May the course of their 30-odd- to early July. This means year life span. You can differentiate males from females by you will see adult females the claws on their front feet: claws are of equal length for crossing roads to dig nests females while the males’ two middle claws are two to three in sunny patches of soil, times longer than the side toes (they are thought to be used sometimes several hundred in courting/mating.) yards from the water where they live. When the eggs PHOTO: G. RUSSELL If you see a clear red hatch, usually late August Snapping turtles often cross roads in slash on the side of a through early October, you search of good nesting sites. Notice turtle’s head, you are may see the tiny hatchlings the spikes on this one’s tail. probably watching heading straight to the a red-eared slider water. It is thought they can (Trachemys scripta smell the water. However, elegans), a non- eastern painted turtles may native turtle once over-winter in the nest and sold as a pet but PHOTO: GREG HUME, WIKIPEDIA.ORG emerge as early as April! now banned from Red-eared Slider, a non-native turtle the pet trade. When If you see an adult turtle PHOTO: BARBARA BATES an owner tired of the pet turtle and released it, the red-eared on the road, do not try to Snapping turtles walk the pond slider took up residence in the wilds of Newton. Thankfully change its direction. If you bottom in search of places to ambush their prey. red-eared sliders do not breed this far north and so their can safely assist the turtle, numbers are not increasing. According to Matt Kamm of help it move in the direction it was originally traveling to Zoo New England’s turtle conservation program, it is not the side of the road. If you see a baby / hatchling painted or warm enough here for the red-eared slider’s eggs to incubate snapping turtle, help it to find cover (a pile of leaves or bush) and hatch. They do grow to 8 to 11 inches, though, as they or help it into the nearest water. live out their lives in our neighborhood. 2 FALL 2020 Reproduction Sadly, nest-predators like raccoons, Both eastern painted and common snapping turtles mate skunks, fox, and in April. I’ve watched the ponderous underwater ballet that coyotes destroy up the snappers perform in the second pond at the Newton to 90% of turtle Cemetery & Arboretum several times. nests before they ever have a chance Eastern painted turtles dig their flask-shaped nests using to hatch. Crows, only their rear feet. If the soil is too dry and hard, the turtle squirrels, and snakes will urinate on it to make it easier to dig. She will reach finish off any left- back through the narrow nest opening with one foot to PHOTO: BARBARA BATES over eggs that have scoop out earth and deposit it to the side. Then she angles A predator, perhaps a racoon, dug up this been exposed. snapping turtle nest and feasted on the 20-50 her body so that she can use her other leg to scoop soil out eggs a snapper can lay. from the other side while maintaining a narrow entrance to Once the nest the nest. You can watch a video of a painted turtle digging hatches, the her nest here: https://youtu.be/IW7zidg0yQc hatchlings are still not safe as they dash Once she has finished the digging, the eastern painted to the nearest water. turtle will deposit I once watched between four to a bull frog at the ten roughly 3/4 water’s edge rapidly inch white eggs gulp four baby into the nest, snappers in a row as tucking each egg the rest slid into the to the side to PHOTO: BARBARA BATES pond. In addition to make room for the usual suspects, Had a predator not eaten these snapping turtle PHOTO: W. LUTZ the next before eggs, they would have hatched 80-90 days Great Blue Herons returning the soil and chipmunks eat Painted turtles lay 4-10 eggs per nest. after being laid. to cover them and the baby turtles. packing it down. You can watch the egg laying process here: After all, that shell is not of much concern for a nut-eating https://youtu.be/O8ucrSwK1_8. Nesting can take more mammal like a chipmunk! than an hour to complete. Once a turtle reaches Snapping turtles also dig using their rear feet but they dig a maturity it has fewer wider nest. A snapper may not nest every year since she can natural enemies.
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