Spotted Turtle (Special Concern) Common Musk Turtle Blandings Turtle (Threatened)

Shell length: 3.5 - 5.5 inches Shell length: 3 - 5 inches Shell length: 6 - 11 inches
One of New Yorks Also known as a stink- Recognized by its
most attractive pot, the common musk bright-yellow throat
freshwater turtles, turtle has four musk-pro- and chin, the Blan-
the spotted turtle ducing glands on the dings turtle has
has yellow polka underside of the carapace a smooth, hel-
dots sprinkled margins, allowing it to met-shaped carapace
across its neck, emit a foul odor when decorated with streaks. Its plastron is hinged
head and carapace. Spotted turtles frequent disturbed. It has a smooth, high-domed carapace, like a box turtles, allowing it to partially
shallow wetlands with generally clear water and often looks like an oval, algae-covered stone. The close its shell as protection from predators.
and soft, muddy substrates, such as swamps, plastron is small, cross-like, and hinged in front. There The Blandings turtle prefers areas of vernal
marshes, bogs, fens, wet meadows, vernal pools, are barbels on the chin and throat. Males have a thick pools and shrub swamps with thick emergent
tidal wetlands, slow-moving woodland streams, tail that ends in a blunt nail. Stinkpots are found in vegetation, but can also occur in shallow weedy
flooded ditches and adjacent fields and forests. slow-moving, muddy-bottomed rivers and big streams, coves and backwaters of lakes and rivers. Adult
They feed on spotted salamander and wood frog and the shallow, weedy coves of lakes and large ponds. turtles may travel a distance to nest in plowed
egg masses, tadpoles, snails, slugs, worms, small They eat algae, snails, leeches, worms, aquatic insects, fields, pastures, lawns and road berms. They
crustaceans and aquatic insects. crayfish, small fish and tadpoles, as well as carrion. eat crayfish, tadpoles, frogs, small fish, leeches,
aquatic insects, snails, slugs, worms, berries
Common Map Turtle Spiny Softshell (Special Concern) and aquatic vegetation.
Shell Length: male 4 - 6 inches; female 7 - 11 inches Shell length: male 5 - 9 inches; female 7 - 19 inches
The map turtles name As its name implies, the Bog Turtle (Endangered)
comes from the topo- spiny softshell turtle has a Shell length: 3 - 4 inches
graphic map-like pat- soft, flattened, leathery shell. Our smallest turtle, the
tern on its carapace. The It has a very long neck, and bog turtle is a secretive
smooth carapace has a a snorkel-like snout with species, inhabiting
keel down its midline, large nostrils. The carapace bogs, fens and wet
with the rear edge flared lacks scutes, and has short meadows with slow
and serrated. Males are decidedly smaller than spiny projections along the moving rivulets and
females and have a more distinct keel. This spe- front edge. The feet are fully webbed. Males are consid- soft muddy bottoms. It is an attractive turtle,
cies is found primarily in bays of Lake Ontario erably smaller than females, and have a long, thick tail. with large yellow to orange-red ear marks
and in large rivers (like the Hudson), preferring Females have very short tails which are often tucked un- that contrast with its black neck and head,
stretches that are slow-moving with soft bottoms der the carapace. Spiny softshells occur in rivers, lakes, and a mahogany starburst pattern often seen
and good basking sites. With its massive head protected bays and river mouths that have soft mud or on each scute of its carapace. The bog turtle
and powerful jaws, females are well designed to sand bottoms and sparse aquatic vegetation. They avoid primarily eats slugs, worms, insects, seeds
crush large snails, freshwater clams and crayfish. areas with rocky bottoms. Spiny softshells eat crayfish, and berries. Due to habitat loss, this turtle has
The diminutive male eats aquatic insects, small aquatic insects, snails, tadpoles and small fish. become extirpated from many sites.
snails and crustaceans.

Box Turtle (Special Concern) Diamondback Terrapin Eastern Mud Turtle (Endangered)
Shell length: 4.5 - 6 inches Shell length: male 4 - 5.5 inches; female 6 - 9 inches Shell length: 3 - 5 inches
New Yorks most ter- Restricted to saltwater New York States rarest
restrial turtle, the box and brackish habitats, turtle, the mud turtle
turtle spends most of the diamondback has a smooth, oval, dark
its time wandering terrapin can be seen carapace without a keel.
open fields and for- floating in quiet bays The plastron has two
ests, only retreating with just its head well-developed hinges.
to shallow pools or above the surface; its Both sexes have nail-tipped tails. Mud turtles are
wetlands to soak during very hot and dry periods. white lips are a good field mark. This turtle comes found in freshwater and brackish water marshes,
It can completely close its shell, distinguishing it to shore to nest in the coastal dunes above high small ponds, water-filled ditches, creeks and
from other turtle species. The box turtles high- tide levels. Prized by the gourmet, it is occasionally swamps. They prefer shallow, quiet waters with a
domed carapace is brightly highlighted; the plas- harvested in New York. Terrapins eat clams, mussels soft bottom and emergent vegetation.
tron is hinged. Males and females can be told apart and snails.
by eye colorusually brown for females, red for Painted Turtle
males. Box turtles eat a variety of fleshy fruits such Shell length: 5 - 7 inches
as strawberries and raspberries, mushrooms and Our most common
other soft vegetation, worms, slugs and snails. They species, the painted
will also scavenge dead birds and mammals. turtle is often seen
basking in large num-
Wood Turtle (Special Concern) bers on logs and stumps
Shell length: 6 - 8 inches in marshes, ponds and
The wood turtle gets lakes, disappearing into
its name from its the water quickly when
preferred wooded Snapping Turtle disturbed. Bright stripes
habitat, as well as Shell length: 10 - 16 inches on the neck and spots on the head can be seen
from the color of Easily recognized by its large head, long saw-toothed when the turtle is basking. The dark carapace is
its carapacethe tail, stocky legs with large claws, and the jagged, bordered with red. The plastron is plain yellow in
prominent annuli saw-toothed rear edge on its dark shell, the snapping the Eastern painted turtle, and has a dark central
give it the sculpted appearance of weathered tree turtle is our largest freshwater turtle. Known for its blotch in the Midland painted turtle. Males have
rings. Wood turtles are usually found in or along defensive nature, this turtle will attack on land, but long claws on their front feet; females have longer
clean, fast-flowing trout streams, foraging during prefers to flee in water. Highly aquatic, this species shells. Painted turtles eat a variety of inverte-
the summer in the woodlands bordering the is found in freshwater and brackish marshes, ponds, brates, tadpoles and vegetation, but will also
streams. Like other turtles, females move into open lakes, rivers and streams. Snappers often scavenge, scavenge carrion.
areas for nesting. Wood turtles eat berries, mush- but they also take live food ranging in size from
rooms, small fish, slugs, worms and tadpoles. They small invertebrates to young waterfowl or small fish.
have also been known to feed on carrion.
 urtles are unmistakable in appearance, their Turtles shells are import-
unique double-shelled armor distinguishes ant for defense, protecting
them from all other vertebrates. In New York these generally slow-moving
State, there are 11 species of freshwater or land reptiles from many predators.
turtles and one saltwater/brackish water species. The upper shell is called the

T Slow-growing, long-lived reptiles, turtles can carapace; the lower shell is the
take five to 20 years to reach sexual maturity, and plastron.
can live up to 70 to 80 years. For most species, the cara-
In New York State, turtles nest from late May pace and plastron are covered
to early July, depositing eggs in sand, gravel, lawns, with a series of scutes (or
cropland, sphagnum moss or sedge tussocks. Eggs Carapace of plates) laid out in a symmet-
incubate for about two to three months, with Wood Turtle rical pattern. Growth of the
hatchlings beginning to emerge in mid-August. shell is often marked by a series of concentric rings or
However, sometimes the late hatchlings overwin- annuli, which can be counted to determine age. How-
ter in the nest, emerging after the spring thaw. ever, since growth nearly stops after the turtle reaches
For many turtle species, the sex of the turtle is maturity, this method of determining age works best
determined by the temperature at which the eggs for the first 10 to 20 years.
incubate. Warmer temperatures usually produce Although a turtles shell may protect it from many
all females; cooler temperatures usually produce predators, it does not protect against cars and trucks.
all males. Identifying the sex of a turtle is com- Many individuals are crushed each year, especially fe-
monly done by looking at the shape of the bottom males searching for a nest site in the gravel along road-
shellflat for females; concave for males. ways. Combined with habitat fragmentation by roads
and developments, this has led to significant declines of
many turtle populations.
carapace (upper shell)
scutes (plates)
Plastron of
annuli (rings) Wood Turtle
annuli
plastron (lower shell)
Wood Turtle Shell
By Alvin R. Breisch and John L. Behler Reprinted from the New York State Conservationist, February 2015
Turtle art by Jean Gawalt / Layout & Design by Frank Herec To subscribe, call 1-800-678-6399