Turtle Journal

Sue Wieber Nourse Examines Male Spotted Turtle

As sure as Saint Patrick drove snakes from the Emerald Isle, as sure as spring equinox arrives each year once rivers of green beer runs dry, a few days of sunshine and 50-degree weather will produce the first basking spotted turtle at Brainard’s Marsh on the South Coast of Massachusetts.  (See Spotted Turtle and Wood Frog Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, March 18, 2011)

Large Female Painted Turtles Basking at Local Bog

During the last week we’ve seen painted turtles decorating rocks at our local bogs and on the floating platform at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.  Yesterday, Sue spied two small juvenile spotted turtles sunning on the far, unapproachable banks of the pond at Brainard’s Marsh.

Spotted Turtle (Clemmys Guttata) 

So, this morning Sue came to Brainard’s Marsh ready for action with a long handled (10 foot) net to snag this handsome dude basking on the bank and to kick off the Turtle Journal’s local research season.  Spotteds are an extremely elusive small fresh water turtle.  For sizing, note the oak leaf in the photograph above with the mature male spotted turtle.

Carapace of Male Spotted Turtle

This 12-year-old male measured 11.6 centimeters (~ 4.5 inches) straight-line carapace length and 8.7 centimeters (3.4 inches) maximum straight-line width.

Plastron of Male Spotted Turtles

His plastron measured 9.7 centimeters (3.8 inches) long with a nice male concavity and thick tail.

 

Male Spotted Turtle at Brainard’s Marsh

Our lad hit the scales at 211 grams (7.4 ounces) and didn’t need to be marked because he had natural nicks at the 2000 suture and in the 3 marginal.  Some future St. Patrick’s Day researcher may be flummoxed by finding a turtle marked as #2003 in a tiny fresh water pond.  Perhaps, that future researcher will be clever or lucky enough to attritube those marks to a pint (or two) of green beer.

Male Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), Naples, FL

For turtle researchers (and Turtle Journal), March can be the cruelest month as we wait for our local turtle species to rise from long winter brumation.  The perfect fix is a trip to the Florida Gulf Coast and a visit with these tank-like gopher tortoises.

Vanderbilt Beach in Mid-March

As Turtle Journal’s Sue Wieber Nourse walked Vanderbilt Beach in Naples this week and enjoyed the beauty of the Gulf Coast’s wildlife, she encountered a fabulous male gopher tortoise preparing for the spring season.

Male Gopher Tortoise Plastron

A middle aged turtle of size and stature, he was still a bit chilled by the front that had passed through Florida the end of last week. 

Left Rear Ped of Male Gopher Tortoise

The close up of his left rear pad made us wonder how different it would be dealing with specimens of this bulk during our research season here in the Great White North.

Ritz Carlton’s Natures Wonders

Just down the beach from where this gopher tortoise resides in the literally “richest” turtle property in the world, Sue spotted a new addition at the Ritz Carlton’s Natures Wonders display.  Is that a hatchling or perhaps a totem to encourage another record loggerhead nesting season on Vanderbilt Beach?

NPR Studio: Don Lewis, Mindy Todd and Kathy Zagzebski

On Tuesday morning, December 7th, Mindy Todd, host and producer of The Point on Cape and Islands NPR Station WCAI, interviewed Turtle Journal’s Don Lewis and the National Marine Life Center’s Kathy Zagzebski about this fall’s large number of sea turtle strandings on Cape Cod.  Before the show began, Don, Mindy and Kathy … joined by the shell of a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle that had succumbed to cold-stunning in a previous stranding season … prepared for the 9:30 am broadcast.

Don Lewis Rescues Kemp’s Ridley from Duck Harbor

By 2 pm on Monday, December 6th, 174 cold-stunned sea turtles had been recovered from Cape beaches, and four more sea turtles had been sighted, but had not been recovered by rescuers.  Of these 174 turtles, 160 were identified as Kemp’s ridleys, 13 were green sea turtles and one was a hybrid, possibly a ridley-hawksbill.  One hundred twenty-five turtles were found alive on the beach, and 45 had already succumbed by the time rescuers reached them.  Another 12 turtles died after being recovered alive.  One hundred twenty-two turtles were transported to the New England Aquarium for emergency medical treatment.

Cold-Stunned Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle in Triage

Early morning on the 7th, another five Kemp’s ridleys were recovered from Eastham beaches; two of which were found alive.

Cold-Stunned Green Sea Turtle in Triage

The Point interview from December 7th has been archived on the WCAI/WGBH web site and can be accessed by clicking here.