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.
Spotted Turtle
(Clemmys guttata)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The Spotted Turtle is considered a Species of Special Concern in New York and does not have a Federal status. They are usually three to five inches in length with a black carapace and several small yellow spots. The plastron is yellow and black. The spots continue on the head, neck and limbs. Males have brown eyes and a tan chin. Females have orange eyes and a yellow chin.
Mating occurs in March to May and eggs are generally laid in June. The female usually digs a shallow (two inches diameter and two inches deep) nest in a sunny area where she deposits three to five and sometimes up to eight eggs. After covering the nest the female will camouflage the digging of the nest by moving her body across the top. The eggs are soft and elliptical and are about one inch. Hatchlings start appearing in August and September and will often over-winter in the nest.
Spotted Turtles can usually be found in wet forests, marshes, bogs. shallow muddy streams or beaver ponds where they feed upon snails, slugs, spiders and other invertebrates. It can often be seen sunning itself in the early spring when the ground is still covered with snow and ice. In the summer vegetation will hide much of their movements. They hibernate underwater in soft mud or debris.
They number one reason for decline of this species is habitat destruction. Spotted turtles require clean water and are sensitive to toxins and pollutants. Around 1900 they were once considered the most common turtle around New York City. In recent years the pet trade has also caused the decline in some local populations due to collecting.
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.