Scientific Name: Emydoidea blandingiiDescription:
Highly domed, smooth, dark coloured upper shell with light coloured flecks. Bright yellow chin and neck.
Size: 12-27 cm
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Range: Southern Ontario, southern Québec, and part of Nova Scotia
Habitat: Blanding’s Turtles generally inhabit nutrient rich lakes, shallow streams, marshes and swamps with dense vegetation. In the summer you will find Blanding's turtles in boggy, plant-filled, stable water bodies such as shallow lakes, wetlands and slow-moving streams and rivers. This allows them to hide from predators but have a constant food source.
In winter these turtles prefer prefer streams with steep banks and deep, constantly flowing water. They also overwinter in small ponds that are spring-fed.
Diet: These turtles eat plants as well as animals including crustaceans and other invertebrates, fish, frogs, crayfish, carrion, berries and vegetable debris.
Behaviour:
This species is considered to be primarily aquatic, these turtles will spend a good amount of time on land looking for nesting sites.
A female Blanding's turtle reaches maturity as late as 25 years old. Every 2 to 3 years, she will lay 3 to 19 eggs on land. The hatchlings will emerge in late September and October.
- Threatened (Ontario and Quebec)
- Endangered (Nova Scotia)
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