Wood Turtle
Scientific Classification
The wood turtle is a medium-sized freshwater turtle that is more terrestrial than most other freshwater turtles. Adults weigh approximately 1kg with males being only slithtly larger that females. The upper shell or carapace is greyish-brown to yellow and is broad and low in shape. Individual scutes (sections) have ridges or growth lines, giving the shell a sculptured appearance. The bottom shell, also known as the plastron, is flat in females and juveniles. In mature males, the plastron becomes concave in shape, which helps them to mount females during mating. Males also have broader heads and longer, thicker tails. To go with the sculptured shell, the skin color is also quite attractive, being brown with yellow, orange and/or red coloring.
Wood turtles are endemic to eastern North America. It is found in Canada in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and south-central Ontario and Quebec. About 30% of the global population is found in Canada, however, the population is discontinuous with subpopulations being small and isolated. They like rivers and streams with moderate current and sandy or gravel substrates. Wood turtles forage in the upland forests and wetlands near to their freshwater habitat, typically within 1000 feet from their water body. Froaging habitat may be bogs, beaver ponds, marshy pastures, meadows, coniferous and mixed forests. They overwinter in the river, stream or pond. Nesting habitat has moderate to high exposure to sunlight but must remain moist, not saturated. Nesting habitat may include unvegetated or sparsely vegetated patches, gravel or sand beaches, riverbanks, and even man-made habitat such as roadsides, gravel pits and decommissioned railways.
Berries, mushrooms, leaves, grass, moss, fungi, and a wide range of available invertebrates that may include worms, insects, tadpoles, slugs, snails and crayfish.
Wood Turtles are active between May and September and hibernate from October to April. They mate soon after coming out of hibernation in early spring and nest between late May and early July. Females lay 6-8 eggs on average but may lay up to 20. Parents take no part in protecting the nest or raising the young. Young hatch in late summer to early fall depending on temperature. Sexual maturity is reached between 11 and 22 years of age with those in the colder parts of their distribution maturing closer to the latter ages of the range given and at a larger size as well. Most live to over 60 years of age and many live up to age 80. They are eaten by raccoons, foxes, coyotes and skunks. Various fish prey on the young turtles as well.
Hind feet are only partially webbed allowing it to move around efficiently in the water, but also on land where it spends considerable time foraging. Wood turtles are not able to survive anoxic conditions during brumation like other land turtles (Snapping, Painted). Their behavioural adaptation is to brumate buried at the bottom of rivers and streams that will not freeze and will keep them supplied with oxygenated water for their butt breathing to be effective.
