SPOTTED TURTLE

Clemmys guttata

REPTILE

Order Chelonia

Description

reaches 5 in long; smooth, dark upper shell flecked with little round yellow or orange spots, sometimes faded with age. Plastron
also yellow to orange with black blotches that sometimes spread with age. Head has yellow band on side. Females have orange eyes; males brown. Hatchlings are uniformly dark, usuallly with a single spot.

Range

northern & eastern North America: southern Canada to South Carolina and west to Ohio

Photo © James P. Rowan Photography

Ecology

Habitat

bogs, swampy streams in woodland or meadow areas, ponds and ditches. Semi-aquatic, wandering into wet woods and meadows that dry out in some seasons. Home range about 1.3 acres. Requires soft substrate and prefers some aquatic vegetation.

 

Niche

carnivorous: eats mostly insects, larvae and other invertebrates; also occasionally eats vegetation and carrion. Adults preyed upon by raccoons and probably other animals large enough to get through its shell. Hatchlings and eggs probably eaten by almost every carnivorous resident of the same habitat. Hibernates in soft mud or muskrat burrows; also aestivates in these places during very warm days.

Life History

Mates in late April, in or out of water; nests in June, digging in an open, sunny spot to lay about 8 eggs where they will be warmed by the sun shining on the nest. Eggs hatch in 2-3 mo, hatchlings may overwinter in the nest, living off their yolk sac reserves until spring. Life span 40+ yrs. in captivity.

Special Adaptations

• Bony shell covered by scales provides protection from both injury and predators.
• Spots help to break up shell outline and mimic sun-dappled habitat, helping to camouflage turtle.
• Sharp beak acts like a scissors for slicing food items.
• Flat, streamlined shell aids in swimming.
• Long claws aid in digging as well as providing traction in slippery grass or mud.
• Long, flexible skin on the "turtleneck" allows head to stretch out or tuck in; neck vertebrae form an S-shape to pull head in, straighten to push head out.