July 12, 1990 - Expectant Turtles Take to,the LandC6 The Suffolk Times - July 12, 1990
Expectant Turtles Take to,the Land
By Paul Stoutenburah
During the last few weeks I have re-
ceived more calls about turtles than any-
thing else. It seems they were on the
prowl and everyone was reporting them.
Most concerned the big, and I do mean
very big, snapping turtles — some go-
ing as high as 40 pounds. These prehis-
toric armored giants at this time of the
year leave their wet, muddy habitats to
venture forth in hopes of finding a suit-
able nesting spot to lay their eggs. This
is why I got a call from a lady who saw
one at the edge of the road and thought
it was lost. Surely up on dry land and
away from water is not where you'd ex-
pect to find them, but when the process
of delivery is about to be performed,
there's no stopping it.
One turtle was reported at the edge of
a potato field already in the process of
egg - laying. The month of June is the
peak time for this event. The 20 to 30
almost perfectly round white eggs are
laboriously deposited in shallow holes
dug by the hind feet of the mother.
When finished, the female covers them
up and never sees her progeny or helps
rear them in any way. All that is left to
Mother Nature. Warm sun will do the
incubating and the drive for survival
will be the force behind the young,
when developed, to dig their way out of
their underground womb and fend for
themselves. Hopefully no raccoon or
fox will dig them up and have a meal,
for it is during this time of incubation
that they are at the greatest risk.
Turtle eggs are leathery, somewhat
like ping -pong balls. Should the
Focus on
Mature
weather be poor during the summer and
the sun not warm enough to complete
incubation, the developing young will
lay over until the following spring
when conditions are right to emerge.
Raised for Soup
Another turtle that is leaving its gen-
eral habitat in hopes of finding a suit-
able nesting site now is the saltwater di-
amond -back terrapin. I was called about
one that had ventured out of the bay and
was exploring an area upland to lay its
eggs. Diamond -backs are beautiful tur-
tles. We see them often poking their
heads out of the water in our creeks and
occasionally in our bays. They were the
turtles that were notoriously hunted for
turtle soup and in some localities were
raised in pens like chickens for the mar-
ket.
There was a man in Cutchogue named
Monroe Baldwin who raised turtles
commercially back in the '20s. There
are still some who can remember him
shipping them to the city, where they
were considered a delicacy and brought a
fair price. a good -sized diamond -back
grows six to eight inches long and
weighs about three pounds. It has a dis-
tinct diamond pattern on its carapace, or
shell, and the back feet are webbed for
swimming while the front ones have
good claws for feeding and digging for
food. It's important to know that this
turtle has just been put on the protected
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Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
PAINTED TURTLE —This small blackish turtle is often seen sunning
itself on a log, rock or bank where its cold blood can be warmed in the
sun. At this time of the year they often wander away from the wet areas
in pursuit of suitable nesting sites to lay their eggs.
list by the conservation department. So
please leave it alone.
An interesting fact I just found out
through a young enthusiast, who did her
doctorate at New York University con-
cerning the activities of the diamond-
back, is that its greatest movement is
during high tide. When brought into the
laboratory where there was no tide their
inner clocks still spurred them into ac-
tion when the local tides were high.
There's a whole new world unfolding
about rhythmic clocks in plants and an-
imals, including the ones that function
in our own bodies.
Beware the Snapper
Turtles are opportunists when it
comes to feeding. A snapper will eat
anything that comes within range of its
sharp and snapping beak. Beware of
your fingers! Stay away from snappers!
Fish or fowl, snake or frog; it doesn't
make a difference to this opportunist.
Many a baby duck has fallen prey to
these hungry predators from below. I've
even seen them eating skunk cabbage,
which to me would not make a very ap-
petizing meal.
The diamond -back terrapin scavenges
on dead fish, etc., and I'm told enjoys
the small snails that scour the water's
bottom. They also eat a variety of ma-
rine plant life. One observer saw them
eating fiddler crabs, which I could well
imagine because they, too, have strong
jaws.
Two other turtles we see on the East
End are the painted and spotted. They
inhabit the Peconic River to our west
and are found in most freshwater ponds
and wet areas. These are small turtles
about three, four or five inches long and
beautifully marked. The yellow striping
on the face and neck of the painted turtle
is an easy identification mark and the
small yellow spots on the blackish
shell of the spotted speak for
themselves. Of these two the painted
turtle is the most common. These are
the ones we see sitting on rocks, on
logs and river banks sunning
themselves. Being cold - blooded, they
warm up that way. Approach them too
carelessly and they'll drop off their
perch and disappear below. They, too,
seek out nesting sites where the warm
sun can incubate their eggs.
The turtles we have been speaking of
generally live in or near wet areas. The
one dry -land turtle most schoolboys
know is the box turtle that inhabits our
woodland. This is not to say you can't
occasionally find a box turtle in a wet
area, but its general habitat is upland.
The large dome and yellow and brown
markings put him in the common cate-
gory for most to recognize. They, too,
lay eggs in the ground, letting the
warmth of the earth incubate them.
When I was a young boy and we were
in need of something to do, we'd get to-
gether and collect four or five box tur-
tles, easily found in the woods, and set
up a race, with them. It was not too well
organized, as I remember, but we were
kept busy trying to steer our own par-
ticular favorite to the finish line. Today
these box turtles are occasionally seen
around, but what with buildings and
roads going up everywhere they have a
difficult time competing for space. Let's
hope there will always be people who
will be concerned and help them along.
Some will stop their car to help one
across the road. Who knows? Perhaps
that very turtle will someday grow to a
ripe old age. Some box turtles have
been known to live for 60, 70 or even a
hundred years.
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Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
PAINTED TURTLE —This small blackish turtle is often seen sunning
itself on a log, rock or bank where its cold blood can be warmed in the
sun. At this time of the year they often wander away from the wet areas
in pursuit of suitable nesting sites to lay their eggs.
list by the conservation department. So
please leave it alone.
An interesting fact I just found out
through a young enthusiast, who did her
doctorate at New York University con-
cerning the activities of the diamond-
back, is that its greatest movement is
during high tide. When brought into the
laboratory where there was no tide their
inner clocks still spurred them into ac-
tion when the local tides were high.
There's a whole new world unfolding
about rhythmic clocks in plants and an-
imals, including the ones that function
in our own bodies.
Beware the Snapper
Turtles are opportunists when it
comes to feeding. A snapper will eat
anything that comes within range of its
sharp and snapping beak. Beware of
your fingers! Stay away from snappers!
Fish or fowl, snake or frog; it doesn't
make a difference to this opportunist.
Many a baby duck has fallen prey to
these hungry predators from below. I've
even seen them eating skunk cabbage,
which to me would not make a very ap-
petizing meal.
The diamond -back terrapin scavenges
on dead fish, etc., and I'm told enjoys
the small snails that scour the water's
bottom. They also eat a variety of ma-
rine plant life. One observer saw them
eating fiddler crabs, which I could well
imagine because they, too, have strong
jaws.
Two other turtles we see on the East
End are the painted and spotted. They
inhabit the Peconic River to our west
and are found in most freshwater ponds
and wet areas. These are small turtles
about three, four or five inches long and
beautifully marked. The yellow striping
on the face and neck of the painted turtle
is an easy identification mark and the
small yellow spots on the blackish
shell of the spotted speak for
themselves. Of these two the painted
turtle is the most common. These are
the ones we see sitting on rocks, on
logs and river banks sunning
themselves. Being cold - blooded, they
warm up that way. Approach them too
carelessly and they'll drop off their
perch and disappear below. They, too,
seek out nesting sites where the warm
sun can incubate their eggs.
The turtles we have been speaking of
generally live in or near wet areas. The
one dry -land turtle most schoolboys
know is the box turtle that inhabits our
woodland. This is not to say you can't
occasionally find a box turtle in a wet
area, but its general habitat is upland.
The large dome and yellow and brown
markings put him in the common cate-
gory for most to recognize. They, too,
lay eggs in the ground, letting the
warmth of the earth incubate them.
When I was a young boy and we were
in need of something to do, we'd get to-
gether and collect four or five box tur-
tles, easily found in the woods, and set
up a race, with them. It was not too well
organized, as I remember, but we were
kept busy trying to steer our own par-
ticular favorite to the finish line. Today
these box turtles are occasionally seen
around, but what with buildings and
roads going up everywhere they have a
difficult time competing for space. Let's
hope there will always be people who
will be concerned and help them along.
Some will stop their car to help one
across the road. Who knows? Perhaps
that very turtle will someday grow to a
ripe old age. Some box turtles have
been known to live for 60, 70 or even a
hundred years.
Serving Eastern Long Island Since 1968
ONG ISLAND SHADE & BLINDS
"The Complete Window Decorating Center"
1285 Route 58, Riverhead - 727 -2268