Spotted Turtle

Clemmys guttata

Amphibian

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing spotted turtles. These reptiles get both their common and scientific name from their spots. They're also known as the polkadot turtles! When they first hatch from their eggs, spotted turtle babies often sport a single, yellow spot on each of their large scutes. Scutes are the plate-like parts that make up their shell. Spotted turtle spots appear on the black top, the carapace, of the shell while the bottom, the plastron, is yellow with dark brown patches. Unlike box turtles, spotted turtles do not have a hinged shell, so they can't completely close themselves inside their shell.

The reptiles range along the east coast of North America and out into the Great Lakes region of both Canada and the United States. They're aquatic and prefer wet habitats such as swamps, rivers, ephemeral ponds, and more, but they're often seen outside of the water, as well. Spotted turtles are ectotherms, meaning they gain their body heat for their external environment. To warm up, these turtles, like many other turtle species, pull themselves out of the water onto logs and river banks to soak up the sun.

Spotted turtles are small when compared to some of the others they may share basking space with. Averaging less than five inches (12.7cm) in shell length, female spotted turtles appear larger than males. The females have orange eyes in comparison to the male's brown eyes and the males have longer tails than their female counterparts. It can take upwards of a decade for a spotted turtle to reach reproductive maturity. Observations suggest that these turtles are some of the first to emerge in late winter to early spring, ready to get busy as soon as they wake up from their winter slumber.

A female spotted turtle lays fewer than ten eggs in a nest she digs into moist but well draining soil, rotten logs, or under leaf litter or moss. Like pond turtles, the temperature of the eggs determines their sex. The hotter the eggs, the more likely the babies will be female. It takes anywhere from 40 to 80 days for the eggs to hatch depending on environmental conditions. Nesting occurs in the spring but some spotted turtle females have a secondary nesting season in the fall, as well. The babies are on their own from birth and can live for two decades to more than triple that if they can avoid threats.

The greatest threats to spotted turtles are habitat loss and poaching for the pet trade. They're listed as endangered, and their populations are believed to be declining. Besides humans, other spotted turtle predators include raccoons who dig up their nests. In turn, these turtles eat both aquatic plants and various animals. Young spotted turtles eat more meat to fuel their growing bodies with worms and insect larvae making up the bulk of their meals. Adults tend to gravitate towards a more herbivorous diet, however, they'll happily eat a frog or unsuspecting insects if they have the opportunity. 

Spotted turtles are primarily diurnal. They spend their days enjoying the sun and foraging and their nights buried in various burrows scattered throughout their habitat. During the winter, and sometimes even the heat of the summer, these reptiles enter a hibernation-like state where they enter burrows and rest until the weather warms up. These burrows are called hibernacula and spotted turtles can often be found in large groups all sharing a burrow during the winter months. Sometimes they even share with other turtles like snapping turtles!

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