The Bog Turtle

The Bog Turtle: (Clemmys muhlenbergi)

Description: 3-4 1/2". A small brown turtle with conspicuous yellow, orange, or reddish blotch on each side of head. Carapace light brown to mahagony(a light-brown or orange sun burst pattern may be present on large scutes), weakly keeled, and rough or smooth depending on age. Plastron brownish-black with varying amounts of yellow along midline: hingeless, with 12 scutes. Male has concave plastron and thick tail, with anal opening beyond margin of carapace.
Breeding: Reaches sexual maturity in 5-7 years. Mates during first warm days of spring; nests in june. Lays single clutch of 1-6 (typically 3-4) elliptical, flexible-shelled eggs, averaging in 1 1/8" in length, in a 2" nest cavity. Hatchlings emerge in august and september after brief incubation of 6 1/2 to 9 weeks, or may overwinter in the nest in northern localities.
Habitat: Sunlit marshy meadows, spring seepages, wet cow pastures, and bogs. Prefers narrow, shallow, slow-moving rivulets.
Range: E. New York and adjacent Massachusetts and Connecticut, south through New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvannia, Deleware, and Maryland. Other populations in Finger Lakes region ( New York) and parts of Pennsylvannia, Vrginia, and North Carolina
Facts: Until recently, the bog turtle, or muhlenbergs turtle, was thought to be an endangered species, but it is now known to be more secretive than rare . Typically active from april to mid october, the bog turtle searches out a wide variety of prey, including tadpoles, slugs, snails, worms, and insects. In spring it often basks in full sunlight atop grassy tussocks. During hot periods it buries itself in mud or vegetative debris, exposing only a small portion of its shell to the sun. Winter is spent buried deep in mud flooded by subterranean waters. It is now protected in most states where it is found.