The (Real) Ninja Turtle by David Heithaus was originally published in the BFEC Newsletter, Vol. 18/No. 3, Summer 2014.
I have never truly understood why so many people hate snakes and so few hate turtles. What is a turtle but a snake with legs coiled up in a suit of body armor? Is a snake bite really that much scarier than a turtle bite?
Yeah... I guess it is.
Being as turtles are so darn popular, let’s have a look at what Ohio has to offer. Did you know that Ohio is home to the world’s largest and most venomous turtle? If so, you have been misinformed. Not even Australia has venomous turtles. They don’t exist anywhere so please stop spreading the rumor.
Ohio is home to eleven species of turtle and among them we definitely have some character.
Ohio’s most terrestrial turtle, eastern box turtles are the shut-ins of our turtle menagerie. They favor moist woodland areas and may spend their entire lives in an area no bigger than 600 feet in diameter. If not foraging for food, box turtles spend most of their time secreted under leaves of rotting logs. Just in case that’s not enough to avoid contract with the outside world, box turtles also carry around their own personal panic rooms. If threatened, they can withdraw into their shells and tightly shut two hinged plates for that extra bit of protection.
Even though these gentle animals are charming enough to take home you should never transport a box turtle. Not only are their lifespans greatly reduced in captivity (unless rigorously cared for), the stress of being removed from and trying to return to their home range can have detrimental effects on their health. Particularly if they find themselves crossing roads.
Male eastern box turtles have longer tails and bright red or orange eyes; females have brownish orange eyes.
Another turtle that doesn’t mind leaving the water behind is the wood turtle. Fond of woodland marshes and swamps, Wood turtles split their time between land and cool, slow moving streams- sometimes in colonial groups. Although they are seldom found more than a few hundred feet from water, they will consistently move over three hundred feet per day-considerably further than the humble box turtle. Not only that, they are accomplished climbers (as turtles go) and are able to scale obstacles from fallen logs to garden fences. You’d be lucky to see one in action, however. Normally distributed throughout New England, Ohio is at the extreme edge of the Wood turtle’s range and they have never been identified outside of the far north east corner of the state.
Male wood turtles have a social hierarchy based on size. To ensure access to mates, larger turtles heap physical abuse on their subordinates until they flee to the edge of the group or leave altogether.
Along Ohio’s rivers and streams basks a master of speed and disguise: the eastern spiny softshell turtle. Preferring ruthlessness and cunning to heavy armor, the softshell turtle sports a leathery carapace, powerful paddle-like feet and the ability to disappear into the sandy substrates they prefer. Their shallow shell and long limbs allow them to out-swim any other turtle found in Ohio and by quickly shifting from side to side, they can bury themselves in a river bottom in the blink of an eye. Softshell turtles have an abnormally long neck and specialized snout that can be used as a snorkel as they lie in wait for their prey.
Softshells are largely carnivorous and can be highly aggressive. If anything is fast enough to catch one, it might think twice about a repeat attempt. In a twist from the wood turtle, female softshells tend to be larger than males and can grow to almost twenty inches in length.
The only turtle in Ohio bigger and meaner than the spiny softshell is the infamous snapping turtle. While stories about them shearing 0.5 inch carriage bolts may be a bit exaggerated, I would not rush out to jam a thumb in one’s face. Snapping turtles are heavily built and can exceed 30 pounds when mature. They prefer muddy still water with plenty of vegetation. Shallow lakes and farm ponds are the perfect hideout for a snapper. They come by their name honestly with a powerful beak capable of rapidly firing off in a brutal snapping motion. This behavior is used as both hunting technique and defense. Snapping turtles are omnivorous and eat just about anything that comes their way. While happy to scavenge, they are extremely effective ambush hunters and have been known to capture fish, amphibians, small mammals and even the occasional bird.
Despite their somewhat clunky appearance, snapping turtles are fast and extraordinarily flexible. If you’re ever tempted to pick one up, think long and hard about how far that neck might extend... or those legs with the inch-long claws...
Fierce and largely without predators as adults, snappers are not afraid of much — including dry land. If their habitat is threatened or overcrowded (or if they darn well feel like it), a snapper might be found far from a water source. At the end of the day, a snapping turtle is still primarily aquatic so if they’re on land, they’re on a mission. For everyone’s good, let them complete it without disturbance!
One of Ohio’s smallest and cutest turtles is also one of its most threated: the spotted turtle. While they can be found in small slow moving ditches or creeks, their preferred habitat includes marshes, bogs, and wet meadows. Unfortunately, these are amongst the most frequently altered or destroyed in the state and without them, spotted turtles’ permanent lodging choices are limited. A shame since they are the only living member of Genus Chlemmys. Spotted turtles are small, seldom reaching six inches in length. There carapaces are broad, smooth, blue-black canvases speckled with tiny yellow circles. This pattern extends out to their heads and limbs and makes them quite appealing to look at. Male and female spotted turtles are not difficult to tell apart. While males have a tan chin, long tail and brown eyes, females have a yellow chin and orange eyes.
Spotteds are active, aquatic hunters and spend a good deal of time poking their heads into every nook cranny and bit of vegetation in their home range. Like the snapping turtle, they are omnivorous. Algae, aquatic plants, insect larvae, tadpoles and salamanders are all on the menu. Spotted turtles eat exclusively while underwater.