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A few years ago, while driving on County Route 38, I saw a turtle crossing the road. Like any nature lover worth his salt, I got out of the truck and picked him up to put him in a safe spot.
I expected the slow-moving pedestrian to be a painted turtle which is, without
a doubt, the most common turtle in Western New York. So, I was startled – and
incredibly happy -- when I discovered it was a wood turtle!
My family and excitedly admired the turtle as we safely put it into Alma Pond.
It was especially rewarding to have our initial good deed magnified by
protecting such a rare specimen.
Yes, rare.
I count myself as a good herpetologist. For years, I traipsed around Allegany
in an effort to help the state with its amphibian and reptile atlas. I found
many an interesting creature but never expected to ever see a wood turtle. They
are incredibly uncommon in Western New York and the Department of Environmental
Conservation counts them as a species of special concern. The atlas itself
shows the turtles having been discovered in only 3 survey blocks in Allegany
County during the decade-long study.
Their numbers are down in most every state and Canadian province because of
predation (mostly by the overpopulated raccoons), habitat loss, illegal
collection (they allegedly make great pets) and vehicular turtleslaughter.
That’s sad, because the wood turtle is one of the more interesting reptiles out
there.
It got its name for two reasons: One, it’s deeply grooved shell looks like
hardwood and, two, it can be found in the woods.
For a good portion of the year, the wood turtle will venture a considerable
distance from water (up to a half mile). In the late-spring and summer they can
be found in wet meadows, fields, and forests, foraging on insects, slugs and
fungi. While hunting, it even does something one might consider a magical
power: It stomps its front feet which mimics the sound of rain; those
vibrations bring earthworms to the surface, making a good meal for the turtle.
They are excellent walkers and relative speedsters for the notoriously-slow
turtle clan. In one study of wood turtles, it was found they averaged 354 feet
of travel a day, pretty darn good for a small reptile no longer than 8 inches
in length. When we released our friend to Alma Pond, my family and I were in
stitches because he seemed to be in a full run and was actually moving quickly.
That ability to cover territory in a hurry aligns well with the turtle’s unique
homing abilities. It was discovered in scientific experiments using mazes that
the wood turtles had homing abilities comparable to those of rats, which is
pretty extraordinary for a reptile. A follow-up to that had a biologist move
specimens a mile and a half from home --- they made it back in less than 5
weeks!
Wood turtles are also attractive little buggers, which might account for their
popularity with reptile collectors. Besides the woody shell, they have a bright
orange neck and legs and their underbelly is yellow with black blotches. They
are active, too; the one we played with kept his head out most of the time, was
inquisitive, and even roared at us in his own way (it sounded like a whisper).
When not gallivanting in the wild during the warm months, wood turtles can be
found underwater in the winter. They will go to the bottom of a river, stream
or pond and bury themselves in brush or mud and stay there all season.
Sometimes, that can account for their demise as it makes them susceptible to
being really buried during flooding, a regular occurrence of springtime thaws
in Allegany County.
That’s yet another thing makes them a marked animal – they are rare for a
reason (actually, quite a few reasons), and they are creatures better left in
the wild and not put in an aquarium.
If you see one in the wild appreciate it and take some pictures; never take it
home.
And, if you see a turtle crossing the road, help it out --- you never know just
what you might be saving.
From the 25 April 2022 Wellsville Sun
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