Wood Turtle

The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a species of aquatic turtle native to North America. It is known as the wood turtle or carved terrapin, and is a species of turtle native to North America. Decades ago, this turtle was quite common, but today it is endangered, mainly due to the loss of its natural habitat and the decline in its population. In this article, we highlight the most notable features of the wood turtle, its habits, reproduction, and its current conservation status.

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Distribution

The broad distribution area in southwestern Canada and northeastern United States ranges from Nova Scotia to Virginia, and extends west to Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and southern Ontario. To the east, its range reaches the state of New York.

Characteristics

It has a carapace with a thick, sculpted surface, with very pronounced grooves and radiating lines.

The carapace is fairly flat, with a slight keel and is wider at the front than at the back. The vertebral and costal scutes are large and form a slight pyramid marked by growth lines and deep grooves. The overall color is brown to grayish with black to yellowish lines on the costals, radiating from the areola.

Juvenile wood turtles have more contrasting colors, while older individuals tend to be more uniformly brown.

The head is medium-sized, with a beak that has a prominent notch, and the eyes are yellow and black.

The plastron is yellow with regular dark spots on all the scutes, and the soft parts are orange to beige. The limbs are brown and have large flattened scales, with five large claws on the front legs and four on the hind legs.

plastron tortuga del bosque (Glyptemys insculpta) — Wood turtle plastron (Glyptemys insculpta)

In males, the front legs have prominent scales on the front, the plastron is concave, and the anal notch is very pronounced. The hatchlings resemble adults in appearance, but are brown to grayish, without the orange coloration on the neck and limbs. They lack a keel and their carapace is as wide as it is long (3 cm).

Habits

This turtle is known as the forest turtle due to its semi-aquatic habitat in forests. They like to bask in the morning in the woods, but in hot, dry summers they hide in mud puddles and hibernate in winter.

The wood turtle can travel about 100 meters daily through the forests. During the summer months, adult wood turtles move along river corridors while feeding in fields and open woods. In New Jersey, monitored wood turtles have been observed roaming areas just over 1.5 kilometers from their wintering grounds. Some turtles have even traveled distances of nearly 1 kilometer over a two-month period.

tortuga del bosque caminando por su hábitat — Wood turtle walking through its habitat

How long does a wood turtle live?

In its natural habitat, the wood turtle lives around 40 years, but in captivity they can live up to 60 years comfortably if well cared for. Semi-aquatic turtles require specific care and accessories for their stay in captivity.

How big is the wood turtle?

The maximum size the wood turtle reaches is 23 cm, making it a small aquatic turtle.

What do wood turtles eat?

They are omnivorous although they mainly eat plants, fallen fruits such as blueberries and strawberries, willow leaves, sorrel, and filamentous algae. Sometimes they also eat dead insects, worms, gastropods, and carcasses of birds or small mammals.

Reproduction

The courtship ritual resembles a dance and is observed from late May to late September. Both the male and female approach each other slowly with their necks extended and heads raised in static positions, and they tilt their heads from side to side for several minutes.

Males may be aggressive and bite the females, but sometimes the females take the initiative in the preliminaries, which is unusual in turtles.

Copulation usually takes place in the water or in the mud of a swamp, where the male firmly immobilizes the female with all four limbs.

Egg laying can be observed from late May to June, and consists of 4 to 18 eggs, depending on the female, which are quite large. Incubation lasts about 80 days, and the hatchlings often remain buried until they emerge the following spring.

Conservation status

It is vulnerable due to habitat loss and collection for sale, which is why it is listed in Appendix II of CITES. In some of its habitats, it is considered endangered. In some places, Glyptemys insculpta is protected and its possession is illegal.

Threats

The wood turtle faces several threats that endanger its survival, including:

Habitat loss: Human development has eliminated much of the wood turtle's natural habitat. The construction of dams, deforestation, and urbanization are some of the human activities that have caused the loss of its habitat.
Pet trade: The wood turtle is a popular species in the exotic pet market. The illegal capture of these turtles to sell them as pets has reduced their population.
Road mortality: Wood turtles can be run over by vehicles while crossing roads to reach their nesting habitat.
Predation: Snakes, raccoons, and foxes are some of the natural predators of the wood turtle.

Conservation programs and habitat restoration initiatives are essential to protect this endangered species. Public education about the exotic pet trade and the importance of preserving the wood turtle's natural habitat are also important for the conservation of this species.