Description

• Elusive, non-migratory, medium size turtle of the salt marsh
• Hard, hingeless shell; top greenish, bottom golden color
• Carapace (top) with 13 scutes ringed concentrically like diamond facets
• Plastron (bottom) symmetrically bisected with 6 sections per side
• Light grayish skin adorned with dark spots
• Large, powerful webbed feet with sharp claws

• Eight to 9 inches long, weighing up to 3.5 pounds
  
• Broad head; deep shell; small, thin tail

• Nearly 5 inches long, weighing about 2/3 of a pound
  
• Narrow head; shallow shell; large, thick tail

• About 1 inch long and weighing about a ¼ of an ounce

• Salt marshes and adjoining rivers, creeks, coves, and bays
• Nests dug into sandy spots on surrounding uplands with remarkable site fidelity
• Winter brumation (hibernation) under mud of protected creeks and coves

• Active: late April through mid October
• Mating: spring with pairing also observed in summer after nesting season
• Nesting: early June through late July
• Hatching: late August–mid-October; some over-winter in nest to emerge May/June
• Brumation: mid-October through late April

• Two clutches each year, about 18 days between clutches
• Clutch size: average 12 eggs; range 6 to 22 eggs
• Light-bulb shaped nest with narrow neck and wide egg chamber; several inches deep
• Predation: raccoon, skunk, crow, fox, coyote, fly maggots, red ants, roots, human activity
• Incubation: average 75 days; range 64 to 100 days; emerge about 5 days after pipping

• Hatchlings disappear into shallow marshes
• Juveniles remain close to marsh creeks
• Females mature in 8–10 years at around 6 inches and 1.5 pounds
• Males mature considerably earlier
• Gender ratio: approximately 2 to 1 (female to male)
• Lifespan still to be determined, but oldest confirmed over 35 years of age

• Snails, crabs, shrimp, minnows, mussels, worms, carrion

• Ranges from endangered to species of special concern from state to state
• Listed as threatened by Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program

• Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, 508-349-2615; 24/7 turtle line, 508-349-0954