Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Bog Turtle
(Clemmys muhlenbergii)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The Bog Turtle is considered Endangered by New York State and has a Federal Status of Threatened. It is New York's smallest turtle and only reaches lengths of 3 - 4.5 inches. They are generally brown with a yellow, orange or reddish spot on each side of their head. The carapace is brown and occasionally a faint yellow or orange star-burst pattern on each scute. The plastron is brownish-black with a bit of yellow near the midline. Males have a concave plastron and a thick tail.
Mating usually begins the first warm days of spring and eggs are laid in June. The female usually digs a shallow (2 inches diameter and 2 inches deep) nest where she deposits 3 - 4 and sometimes up to 6 eggs. The eggs are soft and elliptical and are about 1 inch. Hatchlings start appearing in August and September and will often over-winter in the nest.
The Bog Turtle can be found in sunny marshes, bogs and wet cow pastures and prefers small narrow slow-moving streams. They feed on snails, slugs, insects and even carrion. They will also eat seeds, plants and leaves.
Habitat destruction is the primary reason for the decline of this species. More than half of the 74 sites suitable for bog turtles are actually still viable for these turtles and unfortunately only a quarter of these sites actually contain populations bog turtles. Pollution and toxins adversely affect the turtles as well as the invertebrates in which they feed upon. In 1997 this species was officially listed as Threatened by USFWS and has been on CITES Appendix I since 1975.
Since 1976 New York State has been conducting surveys of current and potential bog turtle habitat. Some habitat is owned by New York State and conservation organizations, but much more is still in private ownership and steps continue to preserve these precious habitats. Radio-telemetry research as well as research on the feasibility of releasing captive raised bog turtles into suitable habitats are ongoing.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help reptiles in need by donating to our Adoption Fund! Your donations will help feed and house reptiles waiting for adoption.