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Blanding's Turtle
Emydoidea blandingii

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AKA:
Semi-box turtle.
Identifying characteristics: An oblong, dome-shelled
turtle is often identified by its bright yellow throat and
chin, dark grey/black top shell (carapace) with yellow/cream speckles
and yellow bottom shell (plastron) with a symmetrical
pattern of dark blotches. Adults may have a completely black
plastron. Skin is dark and most have light speckles. Similar
in appearance to box turtles, but have a larger tail.
Hinged plastron allows it to close the anterior opening of
its shell for protection, while the box turtle can
completely close its shell.
Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches.
Habitat: Shallow ponds with plenty of vegetation,
marshes, swamps and lake inlets. They prefer shallow water
and muddy bottoms.
Food: Carnivorous. Primarily snails,
insects, crayfish and small vertebrates.
Temperament: docile
Other Info.: Tolerant of cold temperatures, but
not heat, which is why they are generally distributed in
northern states. |
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Distribution

Scattered across the finger lakes
and eastern NY
Status:
Threatened in NY due to
diminishing habitat. Threatened in many other states.
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Bog Turtle
Clemmys muhlenbergii

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AKA:
Muhlenberg turtle
Identifying characteristics: A small turtle with a
characteristic bright orange or yellow blotch on each side
of its neck. The skin is dark and the top shell (carapace) is
somewhat rectangular (looking top down). Some aged specimens
may have smooth shells from burrowing in the silt. Shell is
domed, but not very high.
Size: Average shell length 3-3.5 inches.
Habitat: Wetland bogs with plenty of moss or silt
substrate, wet fields. Near clean water sources and with
plenty of sunlight for basking. High humidity and abundant
plants, but little tree cover. Since these habitats
are usually successional and eventually develop trees and
shrubs, bog turtles are ever-threatened and these areas are
being naturally and artificially altered.
Food: Omnivorous. Seeds, berries, insects, slugs,
snails, earthworms, frogs, snakes.
Temperament: elusive, wary
Other Info.: Their small (1 inch) young are easy
targets for predators. Very sensitive to environment
quality. Considered the smallest turtles species in the US. |
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Distribution

Few populations in western NY and Hudson
Valley.
Status:
Endangered in NY due to
diminishing habitat.
Federally Threatened
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Common Map Turtle
Graptemys geographica

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Identifying characteristics: An
low-profile, dome-shelled
turtle is named by its distinctive top shell (carapace) that
has a pattern of yellow lines that resemble erratic river
lines on a map, which may fade with age. The shell color may
range from a brown to olive to dark grey. The carapace has a
shallow dorsal keel and a moderately serrated back edge. The
bottom shell (plastron) is most often yellow. It's skin is a
dark olive with yellow, cream or orange striping. Small
light spot located behind each eye.
Size: Average male shell length of 4-6 inches.
Females are larger: 6-10 inches.
Habitat: Wetland habitats with plenty of
vegetation, slow current and soft bottoms such as some
rivers and large creeks, reservoirs, large lakes.
Food: Omnivorous. Snails, Insects and larvae, clams,
crayfish and aquatic plants.
Temperament: elusive, wary
Other Info.: The majority of this turtle's time
is spent under water, though may be found basking in groups
on logs. They are diurnal, active both day and night.
Females have broader heads and jaws more adapted for
cracking mollusk and crayfish shells. |
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Distribution

Found in western NY and around Lake Ontario and the Great
Lakes region.
Status:
none
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Common Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus

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AKA:
Stinkpot
Identifying characteristics: A generally small turtle
with a highly-domed oval top shell (carapace), usually black
or brown in color. The carapace may distinctive keel, which
wears with age. The skin is dark olive and there are 2
yellow lines that run from the snout to the neck. Their
heads are triangular with a pointed snout and sharp beak.
The legs are short and the neck is long. The tails of mails
are usually longer than females. Juveniles may have a
rough shell.
Size: Average shell length of 3.5-4.5 inches.
Habitat: Mostly aquatic, bottom-dweller.
Shallow, well vegetated areas of lakes, ponds,
slow-moving rivers and creeks with soft bottoms.
Food: Carnivorous. Primarily crayfish, mollusks,
insects and small small fish.
Temperament: elusive, wary, but aggressive if
cornered. Harmless.
Other Info.: Release a foul odor when
threatened.
Will bask on logs and trees over or close to water, offering
them a quick escape. A very common pet species. Rarely seen
out of water. |
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Distribution

Spread across central and western NY as well
as adjacent states.
Status:
none
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Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra s. serpentina

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AKA:
Snapper
Identifying characteristics: A large turtle with a
massive head, long, highly mobile neck and powerful
beak-like jaws. The top shell (carapace) comes in various
shades of brown with pronounced ridges (that lessen with
age) and a serrated back. Their tails are long and spiked.
They almost look like they have outgrown their shell with
their robust body structure. Their skin is rough and
bumpy.
Size: Average shell length of 8-14 inches. 10-35 lbs.
Habitat: Aquatic. Shallow ponds lakes and slow-moving
rivers/canals with muddy bottoms and plenty of vegetation.
They will travel on land, often across roads, to reach a new
habitat or to lay eggs.
Food: Omnivorous. Fish, carrion, invertebrates,
aquatic plants, small birds and mammals.
Temperament: aggressive and dangerous.
Other Info.: Since they cannot retract their
head and feet fully into the shell, they use aggressive
displays when confronted. Their bite is quick and strong,
often injuring people, sometimes even taking off a digit.
Some snappers can reach their neck half-way around their
shell, making it risky to handle them. Picking them up by
the tail will most often injure them. |
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Distribution

Well-distributed across the state.
Status:
Common
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Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene c. carolina

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AKA:
Semi-box turtle.
Identifying characteristics: This high dome-shelled
turtle is often identified by its completely hinged
carapace, which allows it to close its shell and completely
encapsulate itself. Its shell is usually brown/olive/black
with brightly-colored patterns of lines, spots and blotches.
Skin color is variable and may share the variable colored
patterns of the shell. Younger turtles tend to have brighter
colors. Their toes are only slightly webbed.
Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches.
Habitat: Forested areas, damp meadows and fields and
sometimes marshes and bogs. During hot, dry weather,
will burrow into damp muddy areas. Can often be found
in under forest debris.
Food: Omnivorous. Primarily snails, slugs, insects,
fruits, mushrooms (some of which are toxic to humans) and
small amphibians. Their diets are opportunistic.
Temperament: docile
Other Info.: Often kept as pets. Like most
turtles, makes are often identified by their concave bottom
shell (plastron). They are diurnal, active day and night. |
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Distribution

Scattered throughout western NY and the
Hudson Valley region.
Status:
rare
Special Concern in NY
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Eastern Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys rubriventris

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AKA:
Red-bellied Cooter
Identifying characteristics: A large turtle with an
elongate, oval shell, which comes in brown or black with
some red/orange markings. The bottom shell (plastron) is
red/orange with black blotches. The skin is black with
yellow/cream stripes. The eyes appear to also have a stripe
through them, probably as an adaptation to help them hide.
Size: Average shell length of 10-14 inches.
Habitat: Aquatic. Relatively deep water,
rivers, creeks, marshes, ponds, lakes with soft bottoms and
plenty of vegetation.
Food: Omnivorous as juveniles, herbivorous as adults.
Primarily snails, fish, tadpoles, earthworms, insects and
aquatic plants.
Temperament: docile, wary
Other Info.: Bask on rocks close to water. |
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Distribution

Scattered across central and western NY.
Status:
uncommon, exotic
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Eastern Spiny Softshell
Apalone s. spinifera

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AKA:
Spiny Soft-shell
Identifying characteristics: This turtle is an easy one
to identify with its very flat, round and soft skin shell.
This turtle looks like a brownish/green pancake with head and legs.
The shell lacks the boney scutes and is made of tough skin,
but may have some small spines in the front. Males have a
light green/olive shell with small black spots. Females have
a dark green shell and the spots may be a large blotches.
The legs and feet have a pattern of dark lines and
speckles.The snout is large, pointed and is used as a
snorkel. It may have two lines running down the head from
the snout past the eyes, both on the top and bottom. The
feet are highly webbed.
Size: Average shell length of 14 inches. Some
reaching over 25 inches. Females are generally twice the
size of males.
Habitat: Aquatic. Ponds,
marshes, rivers and lake with muddy bottoms and minimal
vegetation. Require elevated sandy nesting areas near shore.
Food: Carnivorous. Insects, crayfish. Use foraging and
ambush techniques to capture prey.
Temperament: wary, elusive
Other Info.: Diurnal: active both day and
night. Often found basking on logs close to water. When
disturbed, will dive under and bury themselves in the mud or
sand. Well-adapted for staying under water for a long time,
as they can adsorbed oxygen through their skin. Very fast
swimmers. |
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Distribution

Scattered across western NY
Status:
Special Concern in
NY
Diminishing as waterways become more polluted.
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Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta

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Identifying characteristics:
A mid-sized turtle with a relatively low-domed top shell
(carapace) that comes in olive to black with yellow/red
accents. These accents may diminish with age. The bottom
shell (plastron) is a bright orange/red and has a beautiful
symmetrical design that look like it was painted. Yellow
striped skin.
Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches.
Habitat: Most aquatic habitats, but prefers shallow,
calm areas of lakes, ponds and marshes with plenty of
vegetation.
Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants, slugs,
snails, insects, small fish, carrion, algae.
Temperament: docile, wary
Other Info.: One of the most common turtles in
N. America ranging across the entire continent. Will bask in
groups on logs and banks. |
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Distribution

Common across the state.
Status:
Common
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Red-eared Slider
Trachemys scripta elegans

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AKA:
Red-eared Terrapin, Elegant Terrapin
Identifying characteristics: Easily identified by the
broad red stripe running from the eye towards the shell,
although this may fade in older specimens. Sometimes they
may also have a red spot on top of their head. The top shell
(carapace) of juveniles start out as a bright green with
yellow and darker green patterns of wavy lines. As they age,
the carapace becomes more yellow, then a more dull and
uniform shade of olive. Elderly specimens may have brown to
black shells with no patterns.
Size: Average shell length of 5-6 inches for males
and 8 inches for females.
Habitat: Quiet aquatic habitat with abundant
vegetation. Ponds, lakes, backwaters.
Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants,
slugs, snails, insects, small fish, young birds and eggs.
Prefers dragonfly larvae.
Temperament: docile, wary
Other Info.: Intolerant of colder temperature,
which limits their range and survival in the north. Often
found basking on rocks, logs, grass and banks. They are very
popular pets and have been introduced as invasive species in
many parts of the world due to the pet trade. |
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Distribution

Some populations scattered throughout the
state. Populations are result of artificial introduction.
Status:
rare, but very common throughout the world and in every
pet store.
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Spotted Turtle
Clemmys guttata

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Identifying characteristics:
Aptly named for its spotted shell, this small turtle has a
dark brown or black top shell (carapace) with a pattern of
scattered round yellow spots. The carapace It's bottom shell
(plastron), is either yellow or faint orange with a black
blotch on each boney plate (scute). Shell markings may fade
with age. Its skin is black and has the same yellow spots as
the shell.
Size: Average shell length of 4.5 inches.
Habitat: Aquatic, preferring shallow waters with
muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation. They will travel on
land to bask, nest or search for a new habitat and will
often be found hiding under leaf debris.
Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants, slugs,
snails, insects, small fish, crayfish, carrion, algae.
Temperament: docile
Other Info.: Tolerant of cold temperatures, but
not heat, which is why they are generally distributed in
northern states. A common pet. |
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Distribution

Distributed in small populations across
western NY and the Hudson Valley region.
Status:
Special Concern in NY due
to loss of habitat and pollution.
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Wood Turtle
Glemmys insculpta

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Identifying characteristics:
An oblong, dome-shelled turtle with a brown/grey top shell
(carapace) with a small central keel. The color of the
shell and its fine grain ring pattern looks similar to wood,
probably leading to its name. The bottom shell (plastron) is
yellow with a black blotch on each boney plate (scute). The
head is generally black, often with small colored spots,
while the limbs may be a lighter color. The neck and
portions of the limbs close to the shell are often a yellow
or orange.
Size: Average shell length of 6-10 inches.
Habitat: Semi-aquatic. Although prefers moving water,
such as rocky or sandy streams and rivers, they can be found
away from water in bushy and wooded areas. They need
moist sand for nesting.
Food: Omnivorous. Herbaceous and woody plants, fruits,
fungi, algae, slugs, snails, insects, earthworms, carrion.
Feeds both in and out of water.
Temperament: docile
Other Info.: Diurnal (active both day and
night). An odd behavior has been observed in some
populations of wood turtle: by stomping their feet or shell
on the ground, they encourage earthworms to surface, then
they feast on them. |
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Distribution

Well distributed across the state and
adjacent states.
Status:
none, but numbers are diminishing due to loss of habitat
and "removal" by humans.
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