Bog turtle

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Glyptemys muhlenbergii

Type: reptile

Status:

Species Guide

Bog turtle

Glyptemys muhlenbergii

Species Type: reptile

Conservation Status:

Identification

Bog turtles are one of the smallest and most secretive of North American turtles, measuring up to 4 inches as adults. The bog turtle is dark brown with a distinct orange patch on either side of the head. The scutes (scale-like horny layers) of the carapace, or upper shell, are brown or black; they may have yellow or reddish centers. Likewise, the plastron, or underneath shell, is brownish-black with a light yellow center. The limbs are brown and may be mottled with variable amounts of dark yellow, orange, or red blotching. The male bog turtle has a concave plastron while that of the female is flat or slightly convex. In addition, the male has a long, thick tail and long foreclaws.

Distribution & Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

The bog turtle occurs in disjointed populations throughout the eastern United States, ranging from New York and southwestern Massachusetts south to northern Georgia. In New Jersey, the bog turtle is distributed in isolated colonies in northern, central, and southwestern counties. The largest populations of bog turtles occur in northwestern New Jersey within the Wallkill and Paulinskill River Watersheds.

Bog turtles love to live in the mud. They are found in wet grassy areas, mossy bogs, and plant meadows that are divided by clear, unpolluted spring-fed streams that flow throughout the year. They like open areas for basking in the sun and nesting.

Diet

Seeds, berries, shoots, and invertebrates dominate the diet of the bog turtle. Insects and their larvae, crayfish, mollusks, worms, snails, slugs, amphibians, nestling rodents, nestling birds, and carrion are also eaten.

Life Cycle

As daytime air temperatures warm during mid-April to early May, bog turtles emerge from hibernation and bask atop piles of grasses and mats of moss. Basking increases their body temperature and makes them hungry for food. It also causes them to mate.

From mid-June to early July, the female lays a clutch of three to four tiny, white eggs in a shallow nest located within a sunny, open area. The eggs hatch anywhere from late August to early September. Barely over an inch long, recently hatched turtles, as well as the eggs, are preyed upon by an array of mammalian and avian predators. If a young turtle survives, it may live well beyond 50 years of age.