Why did the turtle cross the road? The turtles of Akwesasne & the Northeast

Recently I observed a few turtles trying to cross the roads here in kwesasne. Sadly, the first one had been run over. Someone told me they saw the person, who on route 37 by the Bingo Palace, purposely went out of their way to drive onto the shoulder and run that turtle over. I think the person who hit it may have thought it was a snapping turtle because it was dark colored and quite large, and some, who do not know better, are of the wrongful mind feeling snappers are better off dead. However, it was a very large, uncommon to our area, Northern Map Turtle who had to be quite old to reach such a large size. It was probably a female on a mission to lay her eggs. The second turtle I was able to rescue, and it, too, was another large Northern Map Turtle. She was just starting to cross the road in front of me, so my mom stopped the truck and I got out and scooped her up placing her on the floor in the back seat. There was no place, where I found her, that looked safe and far enough from the road to release her, so I took her home and placed her in my bath tub until I could release her later that evening. When I gently sprayed her with water, a lot of sand came from under her shell by her back legs. That is how I figured she was a she, and because of all of that sand, it looked like she must have already buried her eggs. I measured her and with her head tail and feet all tucked into her shell, she was 11 inches long. Later I released her in what I hoped was as safe a place as I could find. Just the other day, my mom had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a smaller turtle. It was a painted turtle, and she was also probably on an egg-laying mission. Before I could pick her up, I had to remove some nasty looking leeches from her shell. When I was younger, I remember swimming in a leech infested swimming hole. Thank goodness those leeches were small. I think if I had a leech on me the humongous size of the one on that turtle, I would have

freaked big time! When that happened, I was swimming with my Aunt Barbara and Uncle John in Saranac, NY. I laugh now when I think about that day. We were sitting there in a row looking like three monkeys with each of us picking leeches off of the person in front of us.

In New York, only snapping turtles and painted turtles are common.  Snappers are the largest freshwater turtle reaching a shell length of 19 inches and weighing up to 70 pounds.  They can be found in a variety of water types from pristine lakes, large rivers, marshes, ponds, and they are even found in salt marshes. Many people like to eat snapping turtles, but today they are definitely not safe to eat. Snappers are long-lived and at the top of the food chain meaning they and any toxins and pollutants in their prey accumulates in larger doses. If one fish ingests a small amount of toxin and a snapper eats five fish, the turtle now has five times as much toxin as each fish. This goes on for every fish it eats. This is called bioaccumulation. The other common turtle is the painted turtle. It is much different than the snapper. They are quite smaller, and their shells reach only about six inches long. They have colorful yellow and red stripes on their head and limbs.

One uncommon turtle to New York is the remarkable diamondback terrapin, a coastal species that prefers brackish water. Its carapace is textured with grooves and ridges. This turtle has whitish-gray skin decorated with black flecks on its head, neck and limbs and a dark mustache mark above the upper lip. It used to be over collected for human consumption, but it has recently been categorized as a game species in order to regulate its harvest. Two other species in New York are the box turtle and the wood turtle, but there is no open season for them. The box turtle is New York’s most terrestrial turtle and a popular summer pet. Its brown shell adorned with a yellow sunburst pattern easily distinguishes it. The male has red eyes and the female has yellow eyes. The wood turtle is one of the most intelligent turtles. In captivity it is able to complete simple mazes. Its carapace is sculptured with a radiating yellow pattern while the plastron is yellow with many dark blotches in the corners.

The spotted turtle is listed as a species of special concern because these turtles are slowly disappearing from places where they were once found. These animals are also called polka-dot turtles, due to the bright yellow dots on their head, legs and carapace. They are basically terrestrial, but never found far from water. They live in marshy meadows throughout the state except for the Adirondack Mountains. Since so many of our marshes have been destroyed, that is most likely why they are disappearing. As I have said many times before, we know so very little about the importance and role of the creatures the Creator put here. Everything is connected, and part of those connections is we, humans. We have to stop destroying Mother Earth’s creatures because what we are doing is going to eventually destroy everything including humans.

Another threatened turtle is the Blanding’s turtle. It also has yellow spots on its carapace, but the spots are smaller in size, greater in number, and duller in color. Its bright yellow chin most easily distinguishes it. This species lives in areas of shallow water and abundant woody vegetation in the lower Hudson Valley and St. Lawrence regions. They used to be found here in Akwesasne in large numbers, but not anymore. North America’s smallest turtle is the endangered bog turtle. It also occurs in New York but is very rare. The major distinguishing feature of this animal is a bright yellow patch behind each eye. Despite their name, bog turtles are found in New York’s disappearing wet meadows not bogs. All three of the turtles just mentioned are currently being head started in New York zoos, which means wild hatchlings are collected and fed until they are significantly larger. They are then released into the same spot that their mother was found. This gives the turtles a better chance to survive and have hatchlings of their own. At the Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Park in New York City, spotted turtles are being head started. Farther north, in Syracuse, the bog and Blanding’s turtles are being given a better chance. It is hoped by conservationists that these efforts will make a difference in the fate of these reptiles.

The northern map turtle is a large species. Due to its size, it is sometimes confused with the snapper. The spiny softshell, which looks more like a pancake with legs than a turtle, occurs mostly in the western third of the state. The stinkpot, or the common musk turtle, is a small turtle with a smooth, dark, high domed carapace. It emits a foul smelling odor when disturbed (hence its name). A close relative, the eastern mud turtle, occurs in New York, but it only occurs on Long Island. This threatened turtle is similar to the stinkpot, but its carapace dome slopes off sharply in the rear, the plastron is fitted with two hinges instead of one (like the musk) and the skin is often spotted or streaked with yellow. Five kinds of ocean-going turtles are also found in New York coastal waters from time to time. For one species, the Atlantic Ridley, recent research suggests that the Long Island Sound may function as a critical habitat for the juveniles. This is a very important find as this endangered sea turtle is one of the rarest of all the marine turtles. The green, hawksbill, leatherback, and loggerhead may also be found off the coast at certain times of the year.

What You Can Do to Help Save the Turtles:  If you see a turtle of any kind crossing the road, if you can, stop and assist it in a safe way to go in the direction it was traveling. Cars kill many pregnant females every year. If you assist the large snapping turtles, (USE CAUTION) be sure to shuttle them without lifting them off the ground. Avoid their face, because they are fairly aggressive and have a nasty bite. Never pick them up by their tails as I have seen some who should know better do, because this greatly harms them. They are able to reach back and bite your hands if you lift them by their shell because they have a very long neck. They are capable of biting a finger off - so be careful. Move them gently with a long stick. I carry an old broom in my truck for just this reason. Marsh fires end up killing a lot of wildlife, including turtles. If you touch a turtle, regardless of its size, be sure to wash your hands carefully and thoroughly to prevent illness from bacteria like salmonella. It is suggested that people not capture any wild turtles to keep as pets. Proper habitat is essential for the survival of all animals, so do your part to protect and provide them with suitable areas to live (wetlands, non-polluted waterways, undeveloped shorelines, etc.). Turtles have lived in New York longer than most other animals, including humans. Our creation story tells us that Earth began on the back of a turtle - we owe them great respect. Please respect and protect our slow-moving docile friends.

Checklist of the 18 Turtle Species Found Within New York:

Common Snapping Turtle - Stinkpot or Common Musk Turtle - Eastern

Mud Turtle (Threatened) - Spotted Turtle (Special Concern) - Bog Turtle (Endangered) - Wood Turtle (Special Concern) - Eastern Box Turtle - Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Special Concern) - Redbelly Turtle (not native - introduced) - Common Map Turtle now called the Northern Map Turtle - Red-eared Slider (not native - introduced) - Painted Turtle (two subspecies) Eastern Painted Turtle Midland- Painted Turtle - Blanding’s Turtle (Threatened) - Eastern Spiny Softshell Green Turtle (Threatened) - Atlantic Hawksbill (Endangered) - Loggerhead (Threatened) - Atlantic (Kemp’s) Ridley (Endangered) Leatherback Sea Turtle (Endangered).

Some trivia about turtles:

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines. They have bony or cartilaginous shells that protect their torso. The shells are actually modified backbones and ribs that have evolved into interlocking plates. The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell is called the plastron. The sides of the shells are joined by bony structures called bridges. The carapace is covered in a rough layer of modified skin made of keratin and is often patterned in horny scales called scutes. Keratin is a hard protein responsible for many animals’ mineral-like structures (scales, nails, beaks, talons, feathers and porcupine quills). Many turtles can retract their legs and head into the shell for further protection. Several species, called Box and Semi-box turtles, have hinges on the sides that allow them to close their shells almost completely. Not all turtles have hard shells. Soft-shelled turtles, like the Eastern Spiny Soft-shell, have a leathery and pliable shell made mostly of skin and cartilage. These aquatic species lack the protection that comes with a full bony shell, but they make up for it with a lower profile and better maneuverability in water. The following is a link to a Map Turtle puzzle you can do online. It comes in easy and hard to do:

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/puzzle-games/map-turtle-jigsaw-puzzle.html