| Blanding's turtle | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Family: | Emydidae |
| Subfamily: | Emydinae |
| Genus: | Emys or Emydoidea[1] |
| Species: | E. blandingii |
| Binomial name | |
| Emys blandingii or Emydoidea blandingii[2] (Holbrook, 1838)[2] |
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Testudo flava Lacépède, 1788 |
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Blanding's turtle (Emys blandingii or Emydoidea blandingii)[2] is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range.[4]
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Its genus classification is mixed with both Emys and Emydoidea in favor among published sources in 2009 and 2010.[1]
Blanding's turtle is a medium-sized turtle with an average shell length of approximately 18 to 23 cm (7.1 to 9.1 in) with a maximum of 25.5 cm (10.0 in). A distinguishing feature of this turtle is the bright yellow chin and throat. The carapace, or upper shell, is domed, but slightly flattened along the midline, and is oblong when viewed from above. The carapace is speckled with numerous yellow or light-colored flecks or streaks on a dark background. The plastron, or lower shell, is yellow with dark blotches symmetrically arranged. The head and legs are dark, and usually speckled or mottled with yellow. Blanding's turtle is also called the "semi-box" turtle, for although the plastron is hinged, the plastral lobes do not shut as tight as the box turtle's.
Blanding's turtles take 14–20 years to reach sexual maturity. Mating probably occurs in April and early May with nesting beginning in early June and lasting throughout the month. The clutch size varies from region to region. In New York, the clutch size ranges from 5–12 eggs with an average of eight.
Blanding's turtle overwinters under or near water, in mud or under vegetation or debris. During the nesting season, a female Blanding's turtle may be found more than a kilometer from where it hibernated. It is omnivorous, eating crustaceans and other invertebrates, fish, frogs, crayfish, carrion, berries and vegetable debris. It is capable of catching live fish. Blanding's turtle may live to be 80 years old.
Blanding's turtle is a timid turtle and may plunge into water and remain on the bottom for hours when alarmed. If away from water, the turtle will close itself up within its shell. It is very gentle and rarely attempts to bite. It is very agile and a good swimmer.
This species' range centers on the Great Lakes, and extends from central Nebraska and Minnesota (where it twice failed to become the state reptile)[5] eastward through southern Ontario and the south shore of Lake Erie as far east as northern New York, with a few isolated populations in southeastern New York (Dutchess County), New England and Nova Scotia. Recent investigations in northern New York report the range of this turtle to be primarily in the vicinity of the Thousand Islands region along the St. Lawrence River. In this region it is found in isolated coves and weedy bays, and further inland in shallow, marshy waters and ponds. It does not commonly occur in the main channel of rivers.
The primary threat to Blanding's turtle is habitat fragmentation and destruction as well as nest predation by unnaturally large populations of predators.[3] It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List[3] as endangered in some U.S. states, and as either threatened or endangered throughout Canada, though it has no federal status in the U.S. The U.S. states in which it is considered endangered are Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Missouri. Blanding's turtle is also fully protected in Michigan as a special concern species.[6] In Canada, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River population in Ontario and Quebec is federally threatened[7] and the Nova Scotia population is endangered.[8]
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