Where to find spotted turtles

Biology Female spotted turtles reach maturity at 12 to 20 years of age sooner at more southerly latitudes. First Name. Last Name. Join Our Community. Stay Connected. Interests Species at risk. Oak Ridges Moraine. Greenbelt, Boreal Forest. Youth Education. Nature Reserves. Other Interests. Nesting dates for Virginia have not been reported, but elsewhere in its range nesting dates are in June Ernst and Barbour, a.

In Virginia, eggs averaged Laboratory incubation time of three clutches was days ave. Natural hatching occurred August-September in Pennsylvania Ernst, , but most hatchlings overwintered in the nest Ernst, The population biology of this species in Virginia is unknown. In a Pennsylvania population, densities were per acre per hectare , movements were less then m, most of the population was comprised of turtles over 10 years of age, and maximum known age was 19 years Ernst, Basking occurs frequently, especially early in the activity season.

Basking sites include logs, stumps, grass mats, and tussocks. Aggression occurs between males during the mating season. Remarks: A vernacular name used in Virginia is "speckled tortoise" Hay, ; Mitchell, b. The pattern of distribution in the Virginia Piedmont is puzzling. Is this a product of human alteration of the landscape in this area, a natural distribution pattern, or the collection pattern of herpetologists? A male collected from Hog Island by M, K. Brady had a kyphotic shell.

Two females collected in the Dismal Swamp in were missing limbs. Conservation and Management: The status of this species is unknown, largely because of the lack of information on the extent of populations in threatened wetlands. The primary cause of population decline and local extirpation is habitat loss from destruction of wetlands.

A more-thorough inventory of spotted turtle populations in Virginia needs to be conducted in conjunction with an evaluation of the threats to the wetlands they occupy. Continued loss of local populations could cause this turtle to be afforded legal protection. This would be followed by slowly walking around the habitat, looking for turtles in the water or basking in or on vegetation or woody debris. Plants and Animals. Clemmys guttata Spotted turtle Jim H. Jim H.

Key Characteristics The Spotted Turtle is a small turtle with adult carapace i. Clair 3 St. Habitat Spotted Turtles require clean, shallow bodies of standing or slow-flowing water with muddy or mucky bottoms and aquatic or emergent vegetation. Natural Community Types Bog Coastal plain marsh Dry-mesic prairie Dry-mesic southern forest Emergent marsh Great lakes marsh Interdunal wetland Inundated shrub swamp Lakeplain wet prairie Lakeplain wet-mesic prairie Mesic prairie Mesic sand prairie Mesic southern forest Northern fen Northern wet meadow Oak barrens Open dunes Prairie fen Rich tamarack swamp Southern hardwood swamp Southern shrub-carr Southern wet meadow Wet prairie Wet-mesic sand prairie Methodology For each species, lists of natural communities were derived from review of the nearly 6, element occurrences in the MNFI database, in addition to herbarium label data for some taxa.

Management Recommendations Spotted Turtles are characterized by late sexual maturity and low reproductive potential, suggesting that high annual survivorship of adults and juveniles is critical for maintaining a stable population. References Survey References Karns, D. Technical References Belmore, B. The basic ecology of the spotted turtle Clemmys guttata Schneider in Massachusetts. Journal of Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists Conant, R.

The Reptiles of Ohio. Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame. Ernst, C. Ecology of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata Reptilia, Testudines, Testudinidae , in southeastern Pennsylvania. Journal of Herpetology 10 1 It is most often confused with the Blanding's turtle, which is typically 7 to 9 inches long and has yellow speckles on the carapace. The Blanding's turtle has a characteristic yellow throat and chin, which distinguishes it from the spotted turtle. Spotted turtles live in wetlands with shallow bodies of water and plenty of vegetation.

While searching for suitable nesting sites, these animals will rely on terrestrial habitat extensively.