The Community Word

There it was, the Maharajah of Muck, the Sultan of swamp. This was not just any old turtle. A very special skeleton, this was a remarkable relic; an ambassador from antiquity.

Sommer Park staff had discovered the remains of a very large and very ancient snapping turtle at the shore of a pond. Amazingly it was pretty much in one piece. It appeared almost mythical; part reptile, part dinosaur, perhaps even part dragon.

The normally rough and ridged shell was worn so smooth that it was obviously an old timer (many decades old) when it died. The tail had huge raised saw-tooth points along its length like those often depicted on dragons. The large head with sharp massive beak and hollow eye sockets had a fierce and violent visage even in death. Long claws still looked ready for action. An old injury, a healed hole from an undetermined sized bullet, near the rear of the shell reflected a resilience in this rugged reptile when confronted with us human critters.

Snapping turtles prefer aquatic habitats with plenty of mud and plants in which to hide. They occasionally wander from a pond or stream overland to another. But even these large predators can exist near populated areas and remain undetected. Snappers have a habit of digging down into mud where they can remain hidden for a very long time, with only their nostrils and eyes exposed. From this position they ambush prey.

When I was a kid in Wisconsin, I used to hunt along stream banks for snapping turtles. I would locate a dinner plate sized depression in the mud. If it turned out to be a snapper, I would then determine which end was the head. Once this was settled (very important), I could dig down, grab the tail, and pull the critter out of the mud, to inspect it, being careful of that gaping jaw, which occasionally ‘bit the air.’ On land the snapper is a fierce and formidable foe and will attack. The jaws can deliver a powerful and damaging bite. In the water it’s a very different story. The snapping turtle can be quite shy and reclusive.

I loved carrying my feisty prize back to show everybody. A big ol’ snapper was always an effective conversation piece. These huge turtles were scary, but fascinating. After a short time, I always returned them, to where I’d found them, and let them go.

The snapping turtle’s diet consists of pretty much anything they can get their mouth around… mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, plants, carrion… they just aren’t very fussy. Like most other turtles, they are omnivores (eat animals and plants).

There are several species of turtles found in Central Illinois. At Emiquon, down near Havana, I noticed an Eastern box turtle sitting out on the road watching cars go by. Only its head protruded from the shell. It was just a question of time before it would be reduced to road pizza. I turned the car around and went back to move the turtle off the pavement. When doing this, it’s important to note the direction the turtle is facing or venturing, and move it in that direction. Put it on the wrong side of the road, and it could very likely just turn around and head right back into traffic.

The box turtle has a high carapace (upper shell). The bottom shell, or plastron, is hinged, allowing the box turtle to completely close up. These turtles are not often seen locally. Unfortunately they are disappearing over much of their former range (which covered the eastern half of North America). Automobile traffic and habitat loss exert a heavy toll.

The most abundant local turtles include the midland painted, and the red-eared sliders. These are related, but the painteds are the more northern, and sliders more southern.

If you look carefully, it is possible to see soft shelled turtles in the Illinois River and also tributary streams. These odd looking turtles have skin covering the bones of the shell (instead of large “scute” scales as other turtles have.) They are a sandy color and spend a great deal of time hiding. In fact, if you notice them sunning, it’s best to observe them through binoculars or a scope. Approach too closely and they will quickly slip into the water and disappear.

They are highly aquatic, spending most of their time in the water. Being able to respire through their skin, they can stay under water a long time, but are un fortunately quite susceptible to pollution poisoning.

It’s easy to see turtles on a warm summer day. They occupy a wide array of habitats, from forests to marshland, rivers, ponds, lakes, and streams. They bask on logs or sandy shores. Just visit wetland areas, such as Banner Marsh or Spring Lake. We’ve seen dozens of turtles of several species basking together on a single log.

In a wetland adjacent to Mendenhall Road (just south of Bartonville) I’ve noticed huge snapping turtles, red-eared sliders, Midland painted turtles, and soft shelled turtles. If you are patient and have a spotting scope you can watch some typical turtle behavior. For example, watching painted turtles daintily eat tiny insects from logs or rocks.

Some Native American tribal creation stories assert that in the beginning, Earth was borne on the back of a turtle. You could say that turtle was a foundation of creation. Given their background this is not too far out. It’s as if they’ve always been here.

As a unique branch of the reptile family, turtles have survived for a very long time. Dating all the way back to the beginning of the Triassic period (which started some 250 million years ago and ended about 200 million years ago), they’ve seen the dinosaurs come and go. And they are still here.

Over the past couple of hundred million years, turtles have survived global warming, global cooling, asteroids, comet crashes, volcanic periods, fires, drought, earthquakes, tsunamis, and glaciers. But just within the past couple of centuries, we are causing them no end of trouble. As human populations continue to expand, habitat fragmentation in our wake reduces life, but benefits such predators as raccoons and even rats, and since turtles all lay eggs in loose soil, those eggs are becoming easier prey for increasing numbers of predators. Urban sprawl results in increased car traffic, which is lethal to turtles. Chemical water pollution takes a toll on turtle populations, as do other types of pollution. Habitat loss due to deforestation, draining of wetlands, siltation, stream channelization, and agricultural practices all take a toll, negatively impacting life.

Occasionally you will come across a dead turtle with a bullet hole in the shell. Some people have an inexplicable need for a live target.

Of Illinois’ 17 species of turtles, 4 are of particular conservation concern: the yellow mud turtle; river cooter; alligator snapping turtle; and spotted turtle. The Blandings turtle is a threatened species. Many of the other 12 species are declining, due to human activities.

Extinction is unacceptable. We need to enthusiastically protect natural areas. As E.O. Wilson points out, we should safeguard each unique species. The turtles’ futures, as in so many other animals and plants, are becoming increasingly dependent on our ability to regulate ourselves and reduce our destructive impacts on the biosphere.

For more information, here are a couple of great web sites: TNC.org;NRDC.org; Audubon.org ; Worldwatch.org ZPG.org