Spiny Softshell Turtle Female
Sure, now that our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors are not trying to capture them for tracking and research purposes, the Spiny Softshell Turtles, like this female, can hang out on the edge of the Chadakoin River. They are such smart and savvy creatures! In case you missed their work this summer check out RTPI’s PWA Youth Ambassadors efforts on their website.
Read MoreSpiny Softshell Turtle Male
Here we have one of those tiny Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) males blending in so perfectly as it rests on the side of the Chadakoin River in downtown Jamestown, New York. As Elyse and I observed this individual I snapped off a few photos, but we never noticed something else going on here. Have you? There is a second male facing the camera also basking in the sunshine, looking like some of the jagged shore. He was a cool editing surprise! Our work in monitoring the species will continue through the autumn season with more to come in 2016. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
Read MoreDigging 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 MoreIntern Presentation
Although winter has come in like a lion for the month of March, be assured that spring will soon be on its way. Warming temperatures and increased daylight will bring everything underneath the snow and ice back to life, including some remarkable reptiles that inhabit the waters of Jamestown’s Chadakoin River. The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a unique species that the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Jamestown Community College students have been studying over the past year, attempting to better understand their habits and behaviors as well as the current conditions of their...
Read MoreEastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)
The past few sunny days have been enjoyable for humans and turtles alike! This adult female Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) was in the process of hauling herself out of the water to soak up some rays when RTPI staff and JCC interns spotted her and a few others doing the same along the Chadakoin River. Observational work will continue until the turtles go into hibernation later this fall, and we encourage all of you that may be out seeing or observing them to let us know what you are finding. We love to hear where else they are being found and this information is helpful in...
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