They are naturally cautious and will quickly dive underwater to escape disturbance, but will return soon enough to their basking perches. From time to time throughout the day, they will slip into the water and feed. Spotted turtles eat small prey such as snails, worms, slugs, and spiders, and also consume some aquatic vegetation. During the heat of summer and the cold of winter, spotted turtles are dormant. In summer, they may emerge from the water and seek shelter under tree or shrub roots.
They might remain inactive for days or even weeks, conserving energy and reducing their risk of predation in the process. In winter, they bury themselves in mud underwater and hibernate. Spotted turtles are small turtles with dark shells spotted with little yellow polka dots. Males have brown eyes and females have red ones. Almost as soon as spotted turtles emerge from winter hibernation in early spring, males begin courting females. They do so by frantically pursuing females underwater.
Several weeks after mating, females go overland in search of appropriate nesting sites. They may not travel far but unfortunately many still are killed crossing roads at this time of year.
A female spotted turtle usually chooses to nest in an open meadow or field. Females dig their nests in sunny locations where there is not a lot of woody vegetation.
This species usually hibernates in wetlands or seasonally wet areas associated with structures including overhanging banks, hummocks, tree roots, or aquatic animal burrows.
In Canada, the Spotted turtle is found primarily in Ontario along the north shore of Lake Erie, in the Georgian Bay area and in scattered locations throughout southern and eastern Ontario. Over the last 30 to 40 years, Spotted turtles have declined significantly and are no longer found at several sites in southern Ontario. It is difficult to estimate the Ontario population size, but recent data suggests there are approximately individual Spotted turtles spread throughout several small, scattered populations.
Of the handful of known populations, only a few are large enough to ensure long-term survival. The most significant threats are habitat destruction and illegal collection for the pet trade. Activities that alter the water table during the winter, such as digging a ditch along a road, can wipe out an entire population.
Nest predation, pollution, and road mortality have also contributed to its decline. Since this turtle is slow to reach sexual maturity up to 15 years and suffers high egg and juvenile mortality, population recovery may be slow. A recovery strategy advises the ministry on ways to ensure healthy numbers of the species return to Ontario.
Read the executive summary and the full document December 5, It occupies the eastern portion of the Great Lakes region from Ontario south to Illinois and west to Michigan.
It also is found along the eastern seaboard from southern Maine south to Florida. Isolated populations also occur in southern Quebec, southern Ontario, central Illinois, central Georgia, and northcentral Florida. Habitat and Diet: Spotted turtles are found throughout the Connecticut lowlands, close to slow-moving bodies of water. They use shallow water bodies, including unpolluted bogs, pond edges, ditches, marshes, fens, vernal pools, red maple swamps, and slow-moving streams.
Water bodies with a soft, murky bottom and abundant aquatic vegetation are preferred. Spotted turtles will seek out other wetlands if their habitat becomes unsuitable. Upland habitats also are used for nesting, aestivating, and travel corridors between wetlands. The spotted turtle is omnivorous, feeding on aquatic plants, small fish, snails, worms, slugs, spiders, tadpoles, and small crustaceans. Interestingly, this species will only feed under water. Life History: Spotted turtles emerge from hibernation in early spring, usually in March, and begin looking for mates.
After breeding, the females leave the breeding pools in search of nesting areas. They may travel a good distance and, in many instances, are killed when crossing roads.
Preferred nesting sites are generally located in open, upland habitats, such as a meadow, field, or the edge of a road. The female digs a nest cavity with her hind legs and feet, and then lays about eggs. She covers the eggs with soil, smoothing it over by dragging her body over the ground. The eggs hatch in mid-September through October, but some hatchlings may overwinter in the nest and surface the following spring. Sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature and humidity of the nest.
Due to this turtle's small size, predation is high, especially for hatchlings. Mammals, such as raccoons and muskrats, often prey on spotted turtles, as well as some birds and predaceous fish. Spotted turtles are thought to live 25 to 50 years and reach sexual maturity at 8 to 10 years of age. Spotted turtles are active only during daylight hours, and spend the night under water on the pond bottom.
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