Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Endangered Blanding’s Turtle

By: Tom Berg

Turtles are interesting creatures.  They carry their shell, or carapace, with them wherever they go, and it provides good protection for them from a wide variety of predators.  Some species can remain underwater for hours during the summer, and many actually spend the entire winter in a dormant state under water or under mud or aquatic vegetation.

Blanding’s turtles, in particular, are very cool and interesting.  They have a smooth shell that is dark and has many small yellowish spots or speckles on it.  They do not grow terribly large, and most adults have shells that are just 7-9 inches in length.  Their most distinctive feature, though, is their bright yellow chin and throat.  When they look up, the yellow throat is easy to see.  Their underside, or plastron, is also bright yellow and has several dark splotches on it.

One of the fascinating things about Blanding’s turtles is that they show very few signs of aging.  Old age does not seem to affect them much!  Some of these turtles have been known to live for 80 to 90 years, and even at that age they are still sexually active and can produce healthy young.  In fact, some individual turtles become even more productive as they age, and older females often lay more eggs in their later decades than when they were younger.

Blanding’s turtles have even been studied by scientists doing longevity research to see if we can learn something about their long lifespans and possibly apply it to humans.  Surprisingly, this research has been going on in Michigan since the 1930s.

Unfortunately, Blanding’s turtles are uncommon in most of their historical range and they are considered endangered in many states.  In Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine they are on the endangered species list and may not be killed, bought, sold or even possessed.

One of the main reasons for their endangered status is habitat destruction.  Blanding’s turtles prefer to live in shallow marshes, swamps and ponds, and as wetlands are drained for human development the turtles have nowhere to go.  Another major factor in their decline is road mortality.  Many turtles are killed each year when they are hit by cars and trucks as they cross roads, especially during the spring nesting season.

The photo of the Blanding’s turtle shown here is courtesy of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

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