SMSC Diary (Week 8): AN UNMARKED JUVIE
Today was an eventful day for the wood turtle team. Our morning began with a shift in plans due to weather – in most instances this means poor weather, but today was quiet the opposite. The beautiful 70°F day meant that we would be postponing stream surveys until next week when it cools down.
A bit of background:
We assess the turtle population via stream surveys when the air temperature drops below the water temperature by walking through the streams in waders, sticking our hands in holes along the banks hoping to retrieve a turtle. Once the air temperature drops below the water temperature, the turtles relocate to their hibernaculum (areas where they remain for hibernation) until the air temperature returns to above the water temperature. The turtles do this, as it allows them to conserve more energy then they would if they remained in the colder air on land.
So, a normal radio-telemetry filled day it was!
Well, not quite.
As we approached our site, we saw a small turtle crossing the road. It was so small in fact; from a distance we thought it was a box turtle. Alas! No, it was not. It turns out; we stumbled upon an unmarked juvenile wood turtle! That is, a young turtle (approximately 10 years old) that has not been measured and catalogued as a part of our monitored population.
So, what could this mean?
Well, first it could mean that our study focus is preferential to larger, older turtles. We could potentially be missing juvenile turtles simply because we are concentrated on seeking football sized objects, as opposed to softball sized. This is not simply an error in perception – wood turtles are adapted to blend in with the forest floor and river bottoms, making even adult locating difficult.
Alternatively, it is possible that juvenile turtles could be migrating from nearby stream systems into our study area. If this is the case, new questions unfold – why are they migrating here, now? Did something happen to their home, or did they simply venture further today?
No matter the reason, finding an unmarked juvenile wood turtle was very exciting as it demonstrates that the populations are continuing to persist.
