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.
Wood Turtle
(Clemmys insculpta)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The Wood Turtle is 5 - 9 inches in length. Each scute on the carapace shows growth rings forming irregular pyramids on the brown carapace. The plastron is usually yellow with black blotches. The neck and forelimbs are reddish in color. Males have a concave plastron and a thick tail.
Mating occurs in spring with eggs laid in May to June. Each clutch contains 6 - 8 eggs (sometimes as many as 18) that are oval and soft. Hatchlings emerge in September to October and will often over-winter in the nest.
Wood turtles can be found in streams, bogs, marshes and farm country. They can be found feeding on snails, slugs, insects and other invertebrates. They will also eat wild fruit. The are excellent climbers and have been reported to have climbed a 6 foot chain link fence.
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.