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Wood Turtle
Stats
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Eats
Omnivorous, eating algae, moss, violets, blueberries, blackberries, earthworms, insects, dead fish, tadpoles, and pinky mice.
Lives
They live in Canada and parts of the United States. They can survive in a wide variety of habitats, including forested floodplains and nearby slopes, fields in different stages of succession, wet meadows, and even farmlands. The only requirement is the presence of water.
Behavior
Diurnal, throughout the year their period of activity changes and they will also mainly spend their winters in the water and summers on land.
Description
Wood Turtles have a flat, rough carapace with irregular growth layers and grooves on each scute. Unlike most turtles, these scutes don't shed annually, leading to unique shell appearances over time. The back of the carapace flares out with a serrated edge, typically black, adorned with striking yellow or black stripes. The plastron, or underside, is a soft pale yellow. This distinctive shell design offers protection in their natural habitat!
Did you Know?
Wood Turtles get their name, because as they age, their shells take on a wooden appearance.
How can I Help?
Primary predators
- Humans – collect and remove them from habitats, run over on roads, habitat loss
- Raccoons and skunks eat eggs
- Raccoons, skunks, opossums, feral cats, dogs, wading birds, crows, snapping turtles, and large fish, all eat juveniles
- Raccoons sometimes eat adults
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