Digging Nests
Could it be that time already?! The abundant warmth and sunshine has been drawing the spiny softshell turtles out to bask, swim and now excavate! This big girl was digging away in the gravel, pitching big clods of dirt and stones with her powerful back legs working to create a safe nest hole to drop her eggs. Once the eggs are laid, the turtles will develop throughout the summer and hatch in late August and early September. Last summer we didn’t witness any little ones hatching as many of the nests were predated. But we’ve got our fingers crossed that this summer will prove to be...
Read MorePile o’ Turtles
Turtles, turtles and more turtles! That was my view of a small section of the Chadakoin River last week as over a dozen spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) lined the exposed concrete and sandbars at the river’s edge. These girls and little boy hauled themselves out of the water and piled themselves onto the concrete debris left in the river from some form of development. While this seems like an unlikely place for these turtles to live, they appear to be well adapted to their urban habitat. We are excited to have the opportunity to begin studying these Muppet-like turtles and...
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