Category Archives: Turtles

Spotted Turtles

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Today I went on a quest for a reptile I’ve never seen in the wild before. Here’s what the habitat (a place that I have never been to) looked like.

It was quite warm for mid-March today – 80 degrees. I was beginning to think that maybe I should have went when it was still cooler outside. But wait, what’s that movement over there in the water?

Spotted Turtles breeding. These are a small, black turtle with distinctive yellow spots on the shell. The head of the spotted turtle is often colorfully adorned with reddish-orange to yellow blotches on the sides and chin. The forearms may also be bright orange.

This handsome turtle shows a preference for shallow, sluggish water – especially marshes and bogs where vegetation is abundant. Spotted Turtles are extremely rare throughout Ohio.

The spots on spotted turtles vary greatly throughout their range. Some can have over a hundred spots, while others have no spots at all.

It was a great day for herping – I also saw my first Green Frog, Eastern Garter Snakes and Northern Brown Snake of the year.

Third Eye Herp
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Turtle Mania!

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Today was one of those days when it seemed everyone was enjoying the outdoors.

And turtles were out in full force too – catching some rays. This Midland Painted Turtle was the first one that I saw.

In the same pond was a young Red-eared Slider hanging out with a juvenile Painted Turtle.

Afterwards I came across this four-turtle combo. The two in the middle are Red-eared Sliders.

The one on the left is an adult River Cooter the size of a football.

During the winter, most water turtles go deep into the mud and leaves at the bottom of waterways. Then they let themselves get cold. Their bodies slow down, so they don’t need to eat anymore. Their hearts slow down too, so that they beat only once every few minutes. They stop breathing through their lungs. Because their bodies are running at such a slow speed, they don’t need much oxygen, but they do need some. They can get the small amount of oxygen they need from the water; it is absorbed through specialized skin cells.

The one on the right is an old Red-ear. As they age, males often get darker and occasionally lose their red coloration. Many of the turtles were still coated with their “hibernation mud.” A double dose of dirty Sliders:

This Red-ear is showing off how the reptile received its common name.

It was an awesome day to be out and see nature gearing up for spring.

Third Eye Herp
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Midland Painted Turtle

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Most reptiles are hibernating at this time of the year in Northeast Ohio. They need warmth to function and February is a cold time of the year – it’s winter. Today I saw this Midland Painted Turtle out basking. It was in the low 50s and partly sunny. I had seen turtles basking earlier in the month, when we had a warm spell, and this turtle was out basking on that day as well (the other turtles, which were further down the waterway, were not out today).

True to their common name, these turtles usually have red or orange markings along the edge of their shell. They also have yellow and red stripes on their neck and legs. Painted Turtles are among the most abundant and conspicuous turtles in Ohio. They are particularly fond of basking.

The Painted Turtle is also the most widespread turtle of North America. They range from coast to coast (though not continuously). More than any other turtle species in the U.S., they remain active for most of the year – even when its very cold, they can occasionally be seen swimming beneath clear ice. Seeing turtles in February makes for some great winter herping.

Third Eye Herp
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