Turtle Journal

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)  — Click to Enlarge

Welcome to pre-history.  Welcome to a time before time when giant reptiles ruled the earth and fury little mammals shivered in the reeds.  Whenever snapping turtles rise from winter brumation, time quakes and it seems to Turtle Journal as though dinosaurs rule once again.  I defy you to examine the tail of this splendid specimen without envisioning an ancient dinosaur.

The Land Time Forgot (in Marion, MA)

Today Turtle Journal ventured to the Land Time Forgot in Marion, Massachusetts.  Even in full sunlight, this area conveys a sense of  claustrophobic forboding as dense canopy melds with thick underbrush.  The opaque murkiness of the water adds to the allusion of a place frozen in a forgotten time.

Modern Day Pterodactyl:  Great Blue Heron

Reinforcing the mood of a lost time, modern day pterodactyls (great blue herons) glide through the air while serenading the wetlands with raucous “frahnks” that echo through tree tops and ripple across the pond like the imagined calls of extinct dinosaurs.  The rich odor of fetid swamp, accented with blizzards of gnats, nails the scene as straight out of a classic 1950s horror script.

Giant Snapping Turtle Claws through the Murk

As we slipped expectantly down the path, the moment got trapped in paralyzing stillness, the same sense that besets films whenever something really dreadful is about to occur.  And on cue, out of the murky blackness, a behomoth clawed the water to reach the brambled bank underneath our feet. 

Snapping Turtle in Marion, MA

We stopped … walking and breathing … as this large snapping turtle wedged himself under the bank, waited a few minutes and then pushed off toward the depths, disappearing into total blackness within just a few feet of the bank.  Turtle Journal loves snapping turtles; they are a direct linkage to a world we only know through fossils and imagination.  Turtle Journal respects snapping turtles; they are truly awesome, especially when they appear and disappear as if by cinema magic.

First Cape Cod Terrapin of 2012: Handsome Male #7082

Under layers of muddy ooze ‘neath the bottom of Wellfleet Bay, Northern Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) snoozed for six and a half months.  Now, sunny days and warming temperatures have coaxed them to the surface to renew the cycle of life in the waters of Outer Cape Cod.  This handsome dude, the first Cape capture of the season, still sports dark muddy stains on his skin.

Sue Wieber Nourse with First Cape Terrapin Capture

The Turtle Journal Team entered Fresh Brook Run, south of Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet Bay, around 1 pm on Patriots Day (April 16th) to search for active turtles cavorting in the tidal shallows of the retreating tide.  A strong southwest wind roiled the Run with white caps, but a few heads could be spotted as turtles came to the surface to snatch a breadth of air.  Sue Wieber Nourse snagged the first capture of the season, male #7082, as he scurried along the murky bottom.

Second Male Diamondback Terrapin

A second and third mature male terrapin, and two adult females were netted by the Turtle Journal Team as they crisscrossed the Fresh Brook Run.  Three of the turtles were first time captures; two (one male and one female) had been previously captured and marked.  Sue Wieber Nourse had netted Male #7082 in June 2010.  Don Lewis had captured Female #739 on 2 July 1999, nearly 13 years ago. 

Don Lewis Tells Lieutenant Island Visitors about Terrapins

The three most important factors in conservation are (1) education, (2) education, and (3) education. With a beautiful Patriot’s Day, residents and tourists flocked to Cape beaches. A perfect opportunity for Turtle Journal to engage the public and to enlist a new wave of citizen scientists.  Above, Don points out the principal characteristics of a male diamondback terrapin, using #7082 as an example, to local Wellfleet residents.  For instance, mature males are nearly half the linear length and a quarter of the mass of an adult female.

Mature Female Terrapin with Affixed Oyster Spats

This adult female terrapin, a first time capture, had clearly already experienced humans in a less positive engagement.  Her right side showed signs typical of a close encounter with a vehicle while she was on a nesting run.  A chunk of her marginal scutes were broken off.  She also became home for two oyster spats looking for a solid permanent location to begin life.

Sue Wieber Nourse Releases Terrapins into Town Creek

With processing complete, Sue released the five adult terrapins into Town Creek at the southwest edge of Lieutenant Island, so they could rejoin their comrades in Fresh Brook Run.  And, yes, it is springtime.  So, I suspect you wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the two females had trailing male companions as they paddled their way back into Wellfleet Bay.

Female Diamondback Terrapin #257 from Sippican Harbor

A stiff southwesterly breeze warmed temperatures on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts to the low sixties for a couple of hours around noon today, April 15th.  While Don Lewis took advantage of this fair weather window to get in a long training run, Turtle Journal’s Sue Wieber Nourse more conscientiously checked the draining basin at the head of Sippican Harbor for signs of active diamondback terrapins.  She spotted a few turtle heads snorkeling for air in the murky, choppy water. 

Female Terrapin Snorkeling Buzzards Bay Estuary

Turtles detest cold, clouds and wind; so, not a single terrapin had climbed up on harbor rocks to bask. Winds were too strong; clouds too frequent; apparent temperature too chilly.  Instead, the few terrapins that had already emerged from winter brumation paddled in the gray opaqueness, only visible when they were forced to surface for a moment to gulp a breath of air.  Nevertheless, at least some terrapins were active and it was time for Turtle Journal to kick off the annual research season.

Don Lewis Kayaking for Terrapins

The weather was closing fast and the tide, augmented by a strong southwest breeze, was filling the basin.  For any chance of a capture, Turtle Journal would need to move quickly.  Back from his run, Don loaded the kayak into the Element, collected his trusty long-pole collection net, and launched from Town Landing.

Don Lewis Examines Netted Terrapin #257

Don cruised the shallows of the basin, hoping to detect the muddy wake of a terrapin crusing the bottom.  It was the only reasonable chance for a capture.  He detected an object moving with the tide and wind, cutting diagonally under the kayak and coming out near the stern.  With the long pole net, it would have been impossible to snag the critter at such close quarters.  Instead, Don waited patiently for the turtle to get almost eight feet to starboard, then swept his net in front of the terrapin, letting her momentum glide her into the netting.

Eight Years of Capture History for Female Terrapin #257

She proved to be Terrapin #257, first captured in head of harbor on 7 July 2004 when she was a mere prepubescent lass of 5 years old.  She measured 11.5 centimeters long and weighed only 255 grams.  A year later on 5 July 2005, she had grown to 13.0 centimeters and 368 grams.  By September 2006, #257 had reached 15.4 centimeters and 542 grams, and on August 14th, 2007, she measured 16.7 centimeters long and 710 grams.  Today, Terrapins #257 has stretched to 18.6 centimeters and 1013 grams, now clearly a fully mature female.  The pictures above provide snapshots of her plastron in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012.

Sue Wieber Nourse Introduces #257 to Rufus

Terrapn #257 has given us great data on the growth of a Sippican female from youth through pubescence to adulthood.  After collecting her morphometric information and checking her long history, we introduced the first terrapin of 2012 to Rufus the Golden Turtle Dog.  Eyeball to eyeball, they decided to respect each other’s space.

Female Terrapin #257 Returns to Sippican Harbor

The weather slammed shut shortly after the capture of #257.  By the time we released her back into the harbor, the sky was fully overcast and temperatures had dipped back into the mid-50s.  Still, for Terrapin #257, it was a welcomed homecoming as she swiftly disappeared into the invisible grayness of Sippican’s opaque waters.