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Animal Information Michigan Turtles
Table of Contents Blanding’s Turtle………………………………………………………………………………………2 Common Map Turtle…………………………………………………………………….………….4 Common Snapping Turtle………………………………………………………….……………..6 Eastern Box Turtle………………………………………………………………….…………..……8 Painted Turtle…………………………………………………………………………………………10 Red-Eared Slider……………………………………………………………………………………..12 Spotted Turtle…………………………………………………………………………………………14 Wood Turtle……………………………………………………………………………………………16
Blanding’s Turtle 2 Emydoidea blandingii John Ball Zoo Habitat – There are 3 Blanding’s turtles located in the Hillside Habitat. One can also be found in the Red Barn. Individual Animals: 3 Male, 1 Undetermined Undetermined o Housed in Upper Red Barn o Hatched September 2014 . Wild (Michigan) o Arrived August 29, 2016 The Hillside 3 arrived: o May 07, 2008 from a private donor o November 17, 2016 from Mesker Park Zoo (Indiana) o November 18, 2016 from Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square (Saginaw, MI) Life Expectancy Can reach over 70 years of age. Statistics Length – 6-9 inches Weight – 1.6-3 pounds Diet – Omnivore Wild – algae, leaves of soft aquatic plants, fish, fish eggs, frogs, crustaceans, adult and larval insects, and carrion. Predators – Northern short-tailed shrews, Striped skunks, Virginia opossums, raccoons, foxes, and the North American River Otter. Most predation is on eggs, and juveniles. Habitat Blanding’s turtles are semi-aquatic, living mostly in shallow wetland habitats where aquatic vegetation is abundant. Region Native to Canada, stretching as far west as southeastern Ontario and as far east as southern Nova Scotia. They continue southward to the United States. With a range including the Great Lakes region, this reptiles’ range stretches as far northeast as Maine and as far northwest as South Dakota and Nebraska, including southeastern New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, southern Michigan, southeastern Minnesota, New Hampshire, as well as Ohio.
Blanding’s Turtle 3 Emydoidea blandingii Reproduction – Polyandrous: females mate with several males during on breeding season. The females reach sexual maturity at 14 to 21 years, averaging maturity at 18 years. Males tend to reach sexual maturity at around 12 years. The females have all of the control in the courtship process when it comes to choosing their mates. However, during courtship, the males are very aggressive and are the ones who seem to be in control, mounting the females and grabbing their carapaces. The females tend to mate with the same males each year. Mating takes place year round, but mostly the start of spring in March and early April. o Mating takes place at night. Females will only nest and lay eggs once a year, between the last weeks of June and the beginning of July. Clutches are products of more than one father, and may be cared for by multiple male turtles, usually two, but occasionally up to three mates. Clutch sizes range from 3 to 19, averaging around 10 eggs. The incubation period typically lasts between 80 and 128 days. Females leave the eggs once they bury them in a safe nesting spot, and the males watch over the eggs from then on until the final days of the incubation period. Behavior Blanding’s turtles are mostly aquatic, they commonly emerge from the water to rest on logs, sedge clumps, or any terrestrial land that is close to their aquatic homes. Overwinter in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. On land males will travel, on average, over 6 miles in a day. Adaptations The hinges of the ventral shell are able to move. Conservation Concerns Road mortality Habitat destruction Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road
Common Map Turtle 4 Graptemys geographica John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Hillside Duck and Turtle habitat. Individual Animals: 1 Female Female o Wild Hatch (Michigan) . Date: Unknown o Arrived July 02, 2008 Life Expectancy Can live as long as 20 years. Statistics Length o Female: 7-10 inches o Males: 3.5-6.5 inches Diet – Omnivore Wild o Females: clams and crayfish. o Males: aquatic insects and small crustaceans. o Both are also known to eat snails, dead fish, and some plant material. Predators Raccoons, Skunks, Foxes, North American River Otters, and Coyotes.
Habitat Ponds, river-bottoms, and lakes Region From southern Quebec and northwestern Vermont. West through the Great Lakes and into southern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. South to Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and then northwestern Georgia. It also occurs in the Susquehanna River system located in Pennsylvania and Maryland and also in the Delaware River.
Common Map Turtle 5 Graptemys geographica Reproduction They breed in the spring and the fall. Mating takes place in deep waters. The nesting period lasts from May to July. The female usually lays two or multiple clutches in one breeding season. Clutch size ranges from 6 to 20 eggs. They hatch after 50 to 70 days of incubation and emerge in August or September.
Behavior – Diurnal They must eat in the water. Dormant from November through early April. Exhibits basking behavior.
Conservation Concerns Road mortality Habitat loss Water pollution
Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road
Common Snapping Turtle 6 Chelydra serpentina John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the North America Turtle habitat (Weather permitting). Individual Animals: 1 Male Birth date and location unknown Arrived October 07, 2012 o From a Private Donor Life Expectancy Wild: up to 30 years Under Managed Care: 47 years Statistics – Largest species of turtle native to Michigan Length – Carapace: 8-18.5 inches o Tail is almost as long as the shell Weight – 8.8-35 pounds Diet – Omnivore Wild – carrion, invertebrates, fish, birds, small mammals, amphibians, and a surprisingly large amount of aquatic vegetation. Predators – None once they are full grown. The eggs and hatchlings of snapping turtles may be eaten by other large turtles, great blue herons, crows, raccoons, skunks, foxes, bullfrogs, water snakes, and large predatory fish, such as largemouth bass. Habitat Fresh or brackish water. They prefer water bodies with muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation because concealment is easier. Region From S. Alberta and east to Nova Scotia in the north, extending south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and into central Texas. Reproduction Over most of its range, the common snapping turtle mates from late March to November. Over much of North America, the main nesting period of this species is between mid- May and mid-June. Using its hind feet, the female common snapping turtle digs a flask-shaped nest, usually in relatively loose sand, vegetable debris. In most populations of the common snapping turtle, only one clutch is laid per breeding season. The eggs are roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.
Common Snapping Turtle 7 Chelydra serpentina
A clutch consists of between 25 and 45 eggs. Incubation last 75-95 days. Adaptations The tail has saw-toothed keels on it. Behavior – Diurnal This species is seldom seen basking, but can often be seen floating just below the water’s surface. Adults sit and wait for prey to swim near it instead of actively seeking it out. Most common snapping turtles enter hibernation by late October. Hibernation usually ends around April, but this varies depending on the location. Conservation Concerns Habitat loss and degradation Pet trade Road-kill and other casual human-induced mortality occurs. Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions o Choose your pets responsibly
Eastern Box Turtle 8 Terrapene carolina carolina John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the Natural Treasures building. One can also be found in the Red Barn. Individual Animals: 3 Males Male – Ted (darker coloration) o Born February 1995 (Estimate) . Location unknown o Arrived February 19, 2015 Male – Bill (lighter coloration) o Birth date and location unknown o Arrived March 08, 2008 Male – Carl (split beak) o Housed in Upper Red Barn o Birth date and location unknown o Arrived 1985
Life Expectancy – Can live over 100 years. Statistics – Length – 4.3-7 inches, females tend to be smaller Diet – Omnivore Wild – snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, birds, and eggs. Predators – Few species can prey effectively on adults due to their ability to close their shells. Habitat – Forest, savanna, or grassland. Region – Exclusively North America Ranging from southern Maine to Florida along the East Coast, and west to Michigan, Illinois, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Reproduction – Polygynandrous – both males and females can have multiple mates. Sexual maturity is reached around 5 years of age. Mating season begins in the spring and continues throughout summer until October. Males sometimes fall backwards after copulation, and if they can't right themselves they die of starvation. Nesting occurs from May through July. Nests are usually dug in sandy or loamy soil, using the hind legs. Then eggs are laid in this cavity and the nest is carefully covered up again.
Eastern Box Turtle 9 Terrapene carolina carolina
A female may lay fertile eggs for up to four years after one successful mating. There are 3-8 eggs laid, though usually 4 or 5, and they are elliptical with thin, white, flexible shells. Incubation last roughly 3 months Adaptations Hinged plastron (ventral part of shell) that allows box turtles to close their shells almost completely. Male Box turtles eyes tend to be more colorful than females. The red or orange coloration may help females to identify males from a distance. Behavior – Diurnal When it gets too hot, they hide under decaying logs and leaves, crawl into mammal burrows, or in mud. When it is very hot, they go into shady pools and puddles to cool off. In the northern regions they go into hibernation in October or November and emerge from hibernation in April. o Further south, they remain active later in the year. To hibernate, they burrow as much as two feet deep into loose earth, mud, stream bottoms, old stump holes, or mammal burrows. Eastern Box Turtles are the only land turtle native to Michigan. Conservation Concerns Degradation, fragmentation and destruction of Box Turtle habitat is widespread Numbers are also declining due to the pet trade. While listed as vulnerable, their population is decreasing and they are a species of concern in many states. Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions o Choose your pets responsibly
Painted Turtle 10 Chrysemys picta John Ball Zoo Habitat – There are 3 Painted turtles located in the North America Turtle Habitat. Individual Animals: 2 Males, 1 Female Male o Hatch location and date: Unknown o Arrived July 10, 2008 . From public donor Male o Wild Hatch (Michigan) . Date: Unknown o Arrived April 26, 2008 Female o Hatch location and date: Unknown o Arrived March 10, 2008 . From public donor Life Expectancy Painted turtles may live as long as 35 to 40 years. Statistics Length – 3.5-9.8 inches Weight – 13 ounces Diet – Omnivore Wild – plants, small animals, such as fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and some carrion. Predators Mink, raccoons, foxes, North American River Otters, and other medium-sized predators.
Habitat Painted turtles prefer living in freshwater that is quiet, shallow, and has a thick layer of mud. Region Painted turtles are one of the most common turtles in North America and are found from southern Canada to northern Mexico. The Painted Turtle is Michigan’s state reptile.
Painted Turtle 11 Chrysemys picta Reproduction – Polygynous: having more than one female as a mate at one time. Mating begins after hibernation and before feeding begins when the water temperatures are still low. The breeding season lasts from late spring to early summer. Males mature at about 3-5 years of age. Females take longer at 6-10 years. In the early summer females lay 4 to 15 oval, soft- shelled eggs, in a flask-shaped hole. Females choose soft, sandy soil with good exposure to the sun in which to dig the hole. Once the eggs are laid they cover the hole and leave. The young hatch and dig out of the nest on their own, they are independent immediately. Behavior – Diurnal Painted turtles must eat in the water, their tongue does not move freely and they cannot manipulate food well on land. Painted turtles bask in large groups on logs, fallen trees, and other objects. The sunning helps rid them of parasitic leeches. In many areas turtles hibernate during the winter months by burrowing into the mud and allowing their bodies to become very cold. They use touch to communicate with each other, particularly during mating. Adaptations They have no teeth, the turtle jaw has tough plates for gripping food. Sound perception is poor in turtles, but they do have a good sense of smell and color vision. Conservation Concerns Road mortality, habitat loss, and pollution Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road Red-eared Slider 12 Trachemys scripta elegans John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the North America Turtle habitat (Weather permitting). Individual Animals: 3 Females 2 Females o Hatch date estimated between 1995-1997 o Location unknown o Arrived April 10, 2008 . From Akron Zoological Park Female o Hatch date and location unknown o Arrived August 20, 2013 . Public donation Life Expectancy Can live over 35 years Statistics Length o Female: 7.8 inches o Male: 11 inches Diet – Omnivore Wild – Algae, plants, sponges, snails, clams, crayfish, insects, arachnids, and carrion. Predators Alligators, Crows, Mink, Raccoons, North American River Otters, and Coyotes.
Habitat Most freshwater habitats. Quiet waters with soft bottoms and basking sites.
Region Mississippi valley from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.
Red-eared Slider 13 Trachemys scripta elegans
Reproduction Sexual maturity is typically 2-5 years, but the timing is dependent on many factors. Courtship behavior occurs in the spring and fall. Courtship occurs in the water. Nesting typically occurs between April and July. Clutch size ranges from 2-23eggs. A single turtle can lay up to 5 clutches in a year. Eggs hatch in late summer or early fall.
Behavior – Diurnal Basks in the sunlight for thermoregulation. Hibernates in the winter in Northern regions. Sleeps by resting on the bottom or floating at the surface of the water.
Conservation Concerns Habitat degradation and loss Road mortality Pollution (particularly pesticides and heavy metals).
Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road
Spotted Turtle 14 Clemmys guttata John Ball Zoo Habitat – There is 1 spotted turtle located in the Frogs and friends building. Individual Animals: 1 Male, 3 Undetermined Male o Housed in Frogs and Friends o Hatched September 2010 . Unknown location o Arrived February 24, 2011 . Private Donor Life Expectancy Can reach over 100 years of age. Statistics – Smallest species of turtle native to Michigan Length – 4.5 inches Diet – Omnivore Wild – algae, leaves of soft aquatic plants, water lily seeds, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, adult and larval insects, amphibian eggs and larvae, and carrion.
Predators – Raccoons, Common Snapping Turtles, Muskrats and Foxes. Most predation is on eggs, and juveniles.
Habitat Shallow waters with a soft bottom substrate and some submergent and emergent vegetation. Sedge meadows, boggy ponds, fens, tamarack swamps, and slow, muddy streams. Region Eastern North America: from Canada to Northern Florida including the Midwest. Within this range, the Spotted Turtle is spottily distributed in the remaining suitable habitat, and most populations are small and colonial in nature.
Behavior Spotted Turtles tend to become inactive in the warmest part of the summer. When surprised while basking, Spotted Turtles will dive into the water and bury themselves in the bottom mud. Spotted Turtle 15 Clemmys guttata Reproduction Sexual maturity at a carapace length of 3.5 inches (around 7-14 years of age). Male Spotted Turtles may fight each other, presumably over access to females. Courtship involves the male chasing the female under water while nipping and biting her legs and carapace; he then mounts her shell and bites at her head and neck. Copulation occurs in shallow water and may last for an hour. Nesting can occur from late May through June. Females typically lay only one clutch of from 1 to 8 eggs per year, though a few may lay a second, smaller clutch a few days after the first. Nesting females seek open, sunny locations that offer moist, but well-drained, soils. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by nest temperature during the middle third of the incubation period; cooler experimental temperatures produced mostly males, and warmer temperatures produced only females.
Conservation Concerns Pet trade Road mortality Habitat destruction Sensitivity to pollution in waterways
Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road Be mindful of wildlife and the environment as you make every day purchasing decisions o Choose your pets responsibly
Wood Turtle 16 Glyptemys insculpta John Ball Zoo Habitat – Located in the North America Turtle habitat (Weather permitting). One can also be found in the Red Barn. Individual Animals: 2 Females Female – Harding o Housed in Upper Red Barn o Hatched between April and August 2003 . Location unknown o Arrived February 19,2005 . Public Donor Female o Housed in the North America Turtle Habitat o Hatched between April and August 2003 . Location unknown o Arrived February 19,2005 . Public Donor
Life Expectancy – Wood Turtle can reach 60 years of age. Statistics – Carapace Length – 6.3-9.8 inches Diet – Omnivore Wild – leaves, flowers, berries, fungi, slugs, snails, worms, and insects. o Opportunistically consume young mice or eggs, or scavenge dead animals. Predators – Few species can prey effectively on adults. Raccoons prey upon nests. Habitat – Forest, rivers, and streams Region – Small area of eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S.
Reproduction Wood turtles in the wild usually reach sexual maturity between 14 and 20 years of age. Courtship may include a mating "dance" in which the male and female face each other and swing their heads back and forth; perhaps more frequently the male simply pursues the female while nipping at her limbs and shell and then mounts her carapace. Mating is most frequent in spring and fall. The female excavates the nest with her hind feet, creating a globular cavity about 2-5 inches deep. Wood Turtle 17 Glyptemys insculpta
Clutch size ranges from 3 to 18 eggs (usually 5 to 13). Only one clutch is produced each year, and females may not reproduce every year. Incubation requires from 47 to 69 days. Hatchlings generally emerge from their nests in late August or September and move to water. Adaptations The scutes, or scales, on the wood turtles shell show concentric annual growth that can be used to approximate the turtle age. Behavior – Diurnal They can capture earthworms by thumping the ground with their forefeet or the front of the plastron. It is thought that the worms may mistake the vibrations caused by this thumping for the approach of a mole or perhaps a hard rain, and come to the surface, only to be grabbed by the hungry turtle Conservation Concerns Habitat degradation, fragmentation and destruction are widespread in Wood Turtles' areas of occupancy, from residential and recreational developments. Predation by raccoons is significant, and believed to result in no recruitment in Michigan. Conservation Ask Be thoughtful while connecting and engaging with Nature o If you care, leave it there o Help turtle cross the road Support Global and Local Conservation programs o Donate time/money to the Zoo . Volunteer . Become a member, return visit, make purchase JBZ participates in a head-starting program for Wood Turtles