Tiny One Inch Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Hatchling
Saturday proved perfect for turtles and turtlologists.  With luck and pluck, the Turtle Journal team encountered four species of local turtles.  Sue Wieber Nourse started the streak by finding this perfect little painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling basking in a SouthCoast bog.
Tiny Over-Wintered Painted Turtle Hatchling
The tiny critter’s shell measured 2.46 centimeters long, less than an inch, and the hatchling weighed a mere 5 grams (less than 0.2 ounces).
Tiny Painted Turtle Hatchling with Absorbed and Healed Yolk Sac
Examining the center of this hatchling’s abdominal scutes, we observed the healed remnant of the absorbed yolk sac, clearly indicating that this baby had been born in the fall and recently emerged from its first winter’s slumber.
Large Male Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the tiny painted hatchling stands this large male snapping turtle. Â We snagged this 35-pound specimen at a local SouthCoast bog. Â The adventure of that capture is documented in Snapper Hunt, a Turtle Journal posting from May 4th.
Male Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
In between the extremes of tiny hatchling and large snapper, we observed a bright yellow, almost glow-in-the-dark male box turtle.
Male Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)
Measuring around 6 inches in shell length and 1 1/4 pounds, this fellow sported the most riveting crimson eyes, complementing a color scheme that screamed “gaudy.”
Adult Painted Turtle and Spotted Turtle Pair
We also found an adult painted turtle and several pairs of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a local SouthCoast bog.
Release of Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Spring in the Great White North has been cold, late and lacking any heat spikes. Â By this date, we should have been able to add a fifth local species, the Northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin), to the list for May 3rd. Â As reported in Amazing First Terrapin Capture in Windy Sippican Harbor, we captured our first and only terrapin of the 2014 season on April 14th. Â Since then, the weather has turned cold, windy and punctuated by storms. Â Terrapins have plunged back to the bottom, turned off the lights, covered themselves with another layer of ooze, and are waiting for a saner weather pattern to set in. Â Fortunately, the Turtle Journal team has kept busy with spotted turtles who are considerably more cold tolerant and less fussy than diamondback terrapins. Â Give spotteds a bit of sunshine and a taste of 50 degrees, and they’re ready for action in secluded mating aggregations across the SouthCoast.