Turtles of Ontario

Ontario’s turtles are living in a perilous time.  All eight turtle species found in Ontario are in decline, with six species listed as a species at risk. This article will provide readers with information about Ontario’s turtles, such as: their distinguishing identification features, descriptions of their habitat, their conservation status, and the distribution of eight turtle species found in Ontario (common snapping turtle, wood turtle, spotted turtle, musk turtle, northern map turtle, painted turtle, spiny softshell turtle and the Blanding’s turtle).

Conservation status of Ontario’s turtles

In Ontario, when there is concern a species may be at risk, the species is reviewed by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario. If a species is classified "at risk" they are added to the Species at Risk in Ontario List (SARO) in one of four categories (extirpated, endangered, threatened or special concern). See Table 1. More information on SARO is available on the Ministry of Natural Resources website at < http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/index.html>.

Species that have been identified as extirpated, endangered or threatened are provided legal protection under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 (EAS). Under the Act, a species is protected from any actions that may cause further harm to the species or its habitat. More information about Ontario’s new ESA can be found on the Ministry of Natural Resources website at <http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/>.

Turtles are also provided protection in Ontario under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, which makes it illegal without a permit to hunt, trap, keep, sell or purchase live specimens.

Turtles of Ontario

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Description – the common snapping turtle is the largest turtle in Ontario and all of Canada. Adult snappers can weigh between 4–16 kg and the carapace (shell) measures 20–36 cm in length. Its carapace is dark brown to black in colour, and the plastron (the flat underside part of the shell or underbelly) is yellow to tan. The tail is serrated and often is the same length as the carapace. The massive head is very distinctive with its powerful hooked jaw.

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Ecology – the species prefers slow-moving waters and can be found in lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. They will hibernate over winter in the soft, muddy bottom.

Its size, more than age (17–19 years) determines when a female is capable of having young. The eggs are laid in clutches of 20–40 in gravel or sandy soils (in May or June) and hatch in the fall of the year. The eggs measure 2–3 cm round.

Snappers are omnivorous, with a main staple diet of fish, plants and invertebrates. Their diet may also include frogs, young waterfowl, toads and salamanders.

Range – it is commonly found widespread within its core range of southern and central Ontario.

Conservation Status – in Ontario the snapping turtle was recently listed as a species of special concern.

Points of interest – snappers can release a foul-smelling liquid from glands under the carapace. They rarely leave the water (except to lay their eggs) and will avoid contact with people in the water. The world’s largest snapping turtle weighed in at 32 kg and once resided at the Toronto Zoo.

Stinkpot Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)

Description – also known as the musk turtle. As the name implies, the stinkpot turtle will emit a skunk-like smell if disturbed. It is one of Ontario’s smallest turtle species, with a dome-shaped carapace measuring about 5–12 cm in length. Its carapace is typically a darker olive-brown colour, and the plastron is yellow to brown with a hinge. The adults have a single, bright yellow stripe along the side of the head, and the chin and throat are covered with barbels.

Ecology – stinkpots prefer the shallow, slow-moving water of lakes, streams, marshes and ponds. It is rarely seen out of water except during the nesting season. Stinkpots hibernate by burying themselves in mud under water when the water temperature falls below 10°C.

The adults breed mainly in the spring (May to July) at the age of 3–7 years. Their nests are very shallow and sometimes exposed. Nests are often found at the water’s edge, in soil, rotting wood or under debris. A clutch of 2–5 white, oval eggs are laid; the young emerge in the fall.

The stinkpot is mainly a bottom feeder. Its diet consists of algae, dead fish, dead waterfowl, small invertebrates, fish eggs, minnows and tadpoles.

Range – the species is found only in southern Ontario, predominantly on the southern edge of the Precambrian Shield (Georgian Bay area). However, there is one small population in Point Pelee National Park in southwestern Ontario.

Conservation Status – it is designated as a threatened species and is protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act 2007.

Points of interest – despite their small size, male stinkpots are aggressive and will bite. Their small plastron allows greater leg mobility, and this turtle is actually a good tree climber! When submerged, this species of turtle only requires about 1/8 the amount of oxygen it normally uses out of water.

Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata)

Description – its name is due to its attractive and colourful markings. Its carapace is oval in shape and measures 10–25 cm in length. Typically the carapace is olive-green in colour, with bright red lines bordering the outer edges of the shell; the plastron is yellow. The neck, head and tail have yellow stripes.

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Ecology – this species is found in slower-moving, weedy waters. It is commonly seen basking in the sun in large groups on rocks or logs along the water’s edge. Painted turtles are active during the day and at night rest on the bottom of a pond.

Painted turtles are omnivorous feeders and will feed on insects, earthworms, aquatic weeds, frogs, crayfish, etc. They must feed in the water because their tongue doesn’t move freely and they cannot manipulate food well on land.

Their eggs are elliptical in shape, measure slightly over 2.5 cm in length and are laid in hatches of 4–8 in a shallow hole during mid-June. The young hatch in late summer.

Range – this species is common and widespread across southern Ontario.

Conservation Status – the painted turtle is not currently on Ontario’s SARO list.

Points of interest – the midland painted turtle is one of North America’s most common species of turtle. It ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographical)

Description – this turtle species has a low oval-shaped carapace measuring about 9–16 cm in length for males and slightly larger for females (18–28 cm). The rear edge of the carapace is roughly serrated. Its carapace is brown, with fine yellow lines that resemble the contours on a topographical map; the plastron is yellow. The head and limbs have light-yellow and dark stripes.

Ecology – map turtles inhabit slower-moving, larger rivers and lakes with soft bottoms. They are known for their communal basking tendencies on half-submerged logs or rocks. To avoid predators, map turtles will rest on submerged logs in deep water. In the winter they will hibernate communally in the deepest water available.

The females require 10 years to reach maturity and will lay their eggs from May to July, usually within 100 m of the shoreline. A nest may contain a clutch of up to 17 elliptical eggs that will hatch in late August.

Their preferred food source is molluscs; however, insects, fish carrion and plant material are also eaten.

Range – this species is found in southern Ontario, primarily on the shores of Georgian Bay, the lower Great Lakes and along some of Ontario’s larger rivers (e.g., Thames, Grand and Ottawa rivers).

Conservation Status – in Ontario this species is listed as a species of concern. Two of the largest populations are in provincial parks on Lake Erie, where the habitat is protected.

Points of interest – the size of the home range (i.e., for basking, feeding and nesting) for this species is quite large, up to 70 ha for females and 30 ha for males.

Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

Description – a mid-sized turtle with a smooth, helmet-shaped carapace that measures about 9–12 cm in length. Its carapace is dark brown to black and covered with irregular-shaped yellow dots. The plastron is yellow, with irregular black blotches. The throat and jaw have very distinctive yellow blotches.

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Ecology – this species prefers quite shallow mashes and bogs and ponds that contain heavy vegetation. It is a mobile species that will travel considerable distances (e.g., 5–7 km) over land, moving between wetlands in the search of food or a mate. During hot, dry weather, the Blanding’s turtle will go into a state of dormancy (aestivation) and in winter it will hibernate in sheltered sites under water.

The female reaches maturity in about 12–20 years, and breeding occurs throughout the season. Typically, nests are dug in May-June and a female will lay a clutch of 3–8 white, soft, leathery eggs that will hatch in the fall. Females are capable of storing sperm until it is needed for fertilizing the eggs.

It is an omnivorous feeder (e.g., snails, tadpoles, aquatic insects and vegetation, etc.) and unlike other aquatic turtle species, it is capable of swallowing its food without being submerged.

Range – in Ontario its range is limited to the southern and central parts of the province (except in the Bruce Peninsula region and in the most easterly part of southeastern Ontario).

Conservation Status – it is designated as a threatened species and is protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act 2007.

Points of interest – because it takes so long for the species to reach reproductive maturity, the loss of a few adults from a local population can have a significant impact. Unlike other turtle species, the Blanding’s turtle is not long-lived.

Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)

Description – sometimes also known as "old red leg" because of its reddish-orange coloured legs. Its carapace measures about 14–20 cm in length, is heavily sculptured, is brown to greyish-brown with black flecks. Its carapace has serrated marginal scutes (bony external plates on the shell) that are somewhat pyramidal in shape. The plastron is yellow with a black blotch at the rear outer corner of each scute and v-shaped notch at the tail.

Ecology – this species is Canada’s most terrestrial turtle, spending more time on the banks of waterways and in a variety of terrestrial habitats than other species. Its preferred habitat is ponds and streams, with a mixture of low riparian forests, swamps and wet meadows.

Wood turtles have an elaborate courtship, featuring dance-like characteristics and a whistling noise. The male’s whistle has been described as sounding somewhat like a whistling kettle. Nesting begins in June in upland areas near water, with the females laying 4–12 oval eggs. The young hatch later in the fall.

The species is omnivorous, feeding mostly on berries, mushrooms, insects and worms.

Range – it can be found in a few isolated locations in southern Ontario (Huron County; central Ontario; north of Lake Huron; eastern Ontario north of Pembroke).

Conservation Status – it is designated as an endangered species and is protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act 2007.

Points of interest – the species is considered highly intelligent, and research has indicated that “it has the ability of a rat in solving mazes.” Wood turtles are very good climbers and are known to be long-lived (i.e., 50 years).

Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)

Description – the spotted turtle is Ontario’s smallest turtle and has a distinctive carapace that is smooth, black and covered with bright yellow dots, measuring about 8 –12 cm in length. The plastron is generally black or brown, with black blotches along the border. The head and limbs are black-brown in colour and may also have spots.

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Habitat – its preferred habitat is shallow ponds, marshes, beaver ponds and wetlands that have a good supply of aquatic vegetation. Like the painted turtle, this species will bask in the sun in groups. They hibernate in groups in the mud during winter months and may aestivate on land (under decaying vegetation at the water’s edge) during periods of hot, dry weather.

Females mature after 7 to 10 years and in June will dig a shallow nest close to the water to lay 3–5 elliptical eggs. The eggs measure about 3 cm in diameter and their shells are flexible. Spotted turtles are known to live more than 40 years.

These turtles are primarily carnivores, eating a diet of insects, snails, tadpoles, worms, slugs, frogs and dead fish. Feeding is done during the daylight hours. Night is spent submerged on the pond bottom.

Range – it is found in localized areas in southern Ontario. In Ontario, about one-third of Ontario's spotted turtle population is on public land (national or provincial parks).

Conservation Status – it is classified as endangered and is legally protected under Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007.

Points of interest – the sexes of the species can be distinguished by the shape of the plastron (males have concave and female’s have convex plastrons) and the colour of the eyes and chin (males have brown eyes and tan chins while females have orange eyes and yellow chins).

Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

Description – the spiny softshell turtle has a flat, leathery and flexible carapace that is olive-grey to brown in colour, with a yellow border. The males’ carapace is smaller (12–24 cm in length) versus that of the females’ (18–43 cm in length). Both have a yellow plastron. Their neck is very long, with a tubular snout that allows the species to breathe while almost fully submerged. The feet are webbed, and the legs have yellow streaks.

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Ecology – this species prefers slow-moving rivers and lakes with soft bottoms and the presence of sandbars and/or mudflats. They are a highly aquatic species that will rarely travel very far from the shoreline and tend to return to the same nesting and hibernation sites year after year.

Females mature after 10 years and will build their nests in sandy or gravelly soils close to water in the spring of the year. A single clutch of 10–40 round, white eggs are laid that will hatch in August/September. The species may live for 25 years.

They feed primarily on invertebrates such as fish, crayfish, dead animal matter and may eat soft parts of aquatic vegetation.

Range – this species is found in southwestern Ontario (Thames and Sydenham rivers), two sites on Lake Erie and on the Ontario/Quebec border in the Ottawa River region (Pembroke).

Conservation Status – it is classified as threatened and is legally protected under Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007.

Points of interest – spiny softshell turtles will hide from predators or to ambush prey by burying themselves the sand or mud. While under water, they can get about half of their oxygen requirement through their skin, similar to frogs.

Resources

Ontario Turtles, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 1975

Species at Risk in Ontario List, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, <http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/246809.html>

Turtle Conservation Curriculum Resource: Turtle Biology, Toronto Zoo, <http://www.torontozoo.com/Adoptapond/turtleCurriculum.asp>

Photo Credits

¹ Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org
² Natural Resources Canada
³ David Cappaert, www.forestryimages.org

© Ontario Woodlot Association, 2010
This article was featured in the Fall/Winter 2009 edition of the S&W Report the newsletter of the Ontario Woodlot Association.

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