What Kind of Turtle Am I? is written by Donna M. Zappala. She is a native of New Jersey. Donna spent many years teaching preschool and kindergarten. While teaching students in the early grades, Donna would begin planning her lessons with a trip to the library to find children’s books that would enhance the topic she planned to teach. Often times, she became frustrated, not finding the best book to suit her lesson. So, now she is creating those stories she knows teachers will find useful, informative and enjoyable for themselves as well as their students.
What Kind of Turtle Am I? is Donna’s second children’s book and discusses the differences between turtles, tortoises and terrapins. It is the story of a turtle named Izzy who goes on a search to figure out what kind of turtle she is. She stops and asks many animals along the way and discovers, little by little, some amazing facts about herself. In the end, Izzy realizes that she is a diamondback terrapin and her search is over as she finds other diamondback terrapins to spend time with basking in the sun.
Donna enjoys visiting schools and reading to children. Please visit her website for more information, to purchase her books, upcoming events, and news.
NATURE WATCHING ISN’T JUST FUN, IT CAN BE USEFUL TOO
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Like many birdwatchers, although I still enjoy seeing the neighborhood cardinal in my yard, it’s the sightings of rarely encountered species, especially those classified as endangered, threatened, or special concern, which really keep my eyes scanning around during a hike.
Observations of Special Concern species, such as this Eastern Box Turtle, may be reported to the NJ Endangered Species Program. Photo by Mike Davenport.
Many birdwatchers, or nature enthusiasts of other species groups such as reptiles or butterflies, share their encounters with rare species on websites or bulletin boards. In addition, several organizations, such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or NJ Audubon, recruit “citizen scientists” who collect species observation data and submit that data electronically via websites such as eBird. That data is important for those organizations’ scientific research and assists scientists in analyzing population trends over years. However, more often than not, it never finds its way to New Jersey’s state biologists nor the state regulators whose task it is to protect rare species habitat in the state.
The New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) collects data for, not just rare birds, but all of the state’s endangered, threatened, and special concern species. A Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.
A map of the location of your observation, such as this one, should be sent with your Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form.
Rare species data within the state’s database plays a critical role in wildlife and habitat conservation. It is the foundation of the NJ DEP’s Landscape Project, a GIS product that maps critical areas for imperiled species based upon species locations and land-use classifications. The resulting maps allow state, county, municipal, and private agencies to identify important wildlife habitats and protect them in a variety of ways. This information is used to regulate land-use within the state and assists in preserving endangered and threatened species habitat remaining in New Jersey.
Reporting your rare wildlife observation is easy. Simply complete the form, attach a map of where the animal was observed, as well as any photographs taken, and then mail or e-mail the form and map to ENSP at the address provided on the form. For more details about the state’s rare species mapping, please visit our webpage.
Spring is here and amphibians all across the state making their way to their breeding grounds. Unfortunately, there are two emergent diseases, chytridiomycosis and Ranavirus, that have caused devastating declines in amphibian populations worldwide. New Jersey is not exempt – there have been confirmed cases of both here in the Garden State. CWF, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife, and Montclair State University, are working together to track the occurrences of these diseases in the state and are seeking information about any potential outbreaks.
If you see any wild amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders, newts), or even reptiles, that appear to be acting abnormally or have visible lesions on them, or if you witness any mass die-offsk, we ask you to please report them to us. This includes tadpoles, which are the main target of some strains of Ranavirus. Please e-mail us and describe your observations (photos are helpful); do not send samples without first contacting us.
Currently there are no posted speed limits on Great Bay Boulevard from Sea Isle Drive to the east end in Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. The road bisects one of the largest state wildlife management areas along the entire coast of New Jersey which is also designated as the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve. Designation as a National Estuarine Research Reserve is “to promote the responsible use and management of the nation’s estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship.” The habitat alongside the road is home a diverse array of wildlife and one species, the northern diamondback terrapin, often crosses the roadway to get to prime nesting areas along the road shoulders.
Female terrapins range in length from 6-9″ and actively search for nesting areas during summers months from May through July. They are hard to see with their dark coloration and high speed limits make identification even harder. On some days as many as 50 terrapins can be seen crossing the road. Many people stop to help these terrapins cross safely and they themselves put their lives in jeopardy. Luckily no one has been seriously injured or killed yet. Unfortunately, terrapins aren’t so lucky, previous studies have indicated that up to 30% of terrapins are killed on Great Bay Blvd. while attempting to find suitable nesting areas (Szerlag and McRobert, 2006).
The Township of Little Egg Harbor knows about the problem there but has done little to help solve it. Public safety should be a serious concern for any type of government. In other parts of New Jersey and in other states people and property have been seriously injured or killed and damaged while either helping one cross safely or by avoiding a collision with them.
Little Egg Harbor can help reduce the chances that a pedestrian gets killed or injured, and they can reduce the amount of terrapins that are killed by motor vehicles. By reducing the speed limit along the road from 50 mph to 30mph both people and wildlife benefit and motorists get to their destination safely.
Last summer both New Jersey and Delaware had rare occurrences of sea turtles nesting or attempting to nest on their beaches. In Stone Harbor, New Jersey this past August, a sea turtle crawled onto the beach and dug two holes in an attempt to nest in an area fenced off for beach nesting birds. Unfortunately, the sea turtle did not lay any eggs and eventually crawled back into the ocean. Although no one witnessed the event, the turtle left strong evidence behind – its tracks! CWFNJ’s Beach Nesting Bird Program Manager along with other agency biologists was at the scene to evaluate the tracks. Each sea turtle species has a different track pattern and leaves behind a different shape at their nesting site (their body pit). It was determined that it was likely a state endangered loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) that attempted to nest. Continue reading “Rare sea turtle nesting!”
Northern Diamondback Terrapins are native to New Jersey and inhabit the many miles of coastal salt marshes along the Atlantic Coast and Delaware Bay. Terrapins were once very common and were used as a main food source of protein by Native Americans and then European settlers. In the early 1900’s it was hunted so extensively that it almost faced extinction. Luckily, during the 1920’s, use of terrapins for food dropped in popularity. This allowed the population to slightly recover and avoid extinction. However, several major threats still threaten their survival. Habitat loss, mortality from being drowned in crab traps, and road mortality all pose major threats to the health of the population. Each year thousands of terrapins are killed by motor vehicles throughout their range and here in New Jersey, Great Bay Boulevard is no exception.
Great Bay Boulevard or Seven Bridges Road extends approximately 5 miles into estuarine emergent wetlands and northern diamondback terrapin nesting habitat. The boulevard is surrounded by over 5,500 acres of protected coastal habitat (Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management Area – Managed by NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife), a relatively unspoiled, estuarine ecosystem. This road, at times, has high a volume of traffic, especially on weekends when boaters and outdoorsmen travel on the road to get to and from one of the several active marinas along the road. Currently during May-August there is no protection to terrapins when they cross Great Bay Blvd. from vehicle traffic. Most terrapins who cross the road are adult females who are laden with eggs and are looking for a suitable nesting site. These females lay their eggs in a sand/gravel mixture where it is easy for them to dig and cover their eggs, like sandy beaches and in scrub-shrub habitat along road edges. Many female terrapins are inadvertently hit-by-car and injured or killed by speeding motorists or people unaware of the summer nesting habits of the terrapin. This high mortality rate has caused the local population to decline and it has also caused the average size of adults to drop significantly over the past 20 years.
How you can help:
Volunteers are needed to help install ~ 4,000 ft. of barrier fencing along Great Bay Blvd to help reduce the amount of road kills. Sambol construction will be helping us by trenching a ditch for us to place the fence in. Volunteers will help lay out fence, install metal posts, hang fence, and back fill trenches.
Please pack a lunch and bring plenty of water, sunblock, and bug spray.
We are starting work on Friday at 8am, but if we don’t finish, we’ll wrap up work on Saturday morning.
We will meet after the first bridge; click here for a Google Map link. You can park here and then we can car pool to the section of the road where the fence will be installed.
Having accurately mapped rare species data is essential for insuring that critical habitat for those species remains protected. For that reason, I recently accompanied Kris Schantz, a biologist from the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program, in documenting two timber rattlesnake den locations in northern New Jersey using a GPS (global positioning system) unit. Our goals were to see if the rattlesnakes had emerged from hibernation, survey how many were present, and to accurately map their locations in the heavily wooded area less than 30 miles outside New York City.
Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus horridus), like other reptiles, are cold-blooded. In order to survive through the long, cold winter in New Jersey, they hibernate in dens. Research has shown that rattlesnake dens in the northern part of the state can vary from rocky outcroppings with crevices, ledges or boulders to forest interior dens consisting of a few rocks and a hole in the ground. In New Jersey’s Pinelands, however, rattlesnake dens are quite different. Rattlesnake dens in the Pinelands are usually underground crevices near bodies of water, often underneath large tree roots.
Rattlesnakes will almost always use the same den year after year. In addition, rattlesnake young typically follow the scent trail of their mother in order to find their way to her den their first fall, or may follow any timber rattlesnake to a suitable den. As a result, a good den site may provide a winter refuge for a number of rattlesnakes of all age classes, as well as other species of snakes.
Since the goal of our mission was to map den locations, we had to make sure we arrived at the den site once it was warm enough for the rattlesnakes to come out of their crevasses to bask but before they had enough warm weather to travel away from the den site. Timing was crucial. After a week with some fairly warm days mixed with very cool nights and a few cool days, we ventured out during the last week of April on a day when the air temperature climbed into the lower 80’s.
The first den site we visited required a fairly long hike through a rocky, deciduous forest. Fortunately, Kris had visited both den sites several years earlier so she had a good idea of where we needed to go. We were fortunate to find two individuals at the den site, one yellow-phase juvenile and one yellow-phase sub-adult or young adult. While I GPSed the den site, Kris attempted to determine their sex based on their appearance (the young adult was a female but the juvenile’s sex could not be determined).
GPS units work when there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. With 7-8 satellites being detected by the GPS unit, my task of mapping the site was fairly easy and took little time. The trees had yet to leaf-out so my GPS unit had a clear signal from above. We also observed a northern black racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor) at the den site.
The second den site required a much longer and more strenuous hike accompanied by swarms of black flies. At that location, we observed three rattlesnakes – one black-phase adult (sex undetermined), one yellow-phase adult male, and one yellow-phase sub-adult or young adult (sex undetermined). GPSing this location took a little more effort though due to the terrain both because it was more difficult to get to the site and once there, the terrain made getting a clear signal on the GPS unit a little more tricky and it took far longer than at the first den.
Out of the five rattlesnakes we observed, only one ever rattled. Rattlesnakes rely on their camouflage as their first line of defense. Even when we were close by, they remained motionless. At no point did any of the snakes approach us or attempt to strike. The only two individuals which moved at all during our survey, moved away from us into rock crevasses and that was likely due to our prolonged presence staring at them.
Snakes, and venomous snakes in particular, have an undeserved bad reputation. At no point during our survey did I ever have any fear of being bitten by a rattlesnake. In all honesty, I was actually far more afraid of being bitten by a tick instead (I only found about four or five on me during the entire day).
