Turtle neighbors take you back to long ago era (Susan Story Galt)

DOVER COMMUNITY NEWS (New Hampshire) Turtle neighbors take you back to long ago era (Susan Story Galt)
I've seen a lot more turtles this summer than I usually do. Even in July, which is later than the normal June nesting season, female turtles are moving around the are, searching for places to lay their eggs. And on sunny days, local ponds all seem to have turtles sitting on rocks, enjoying the sun. Sadly, none of these turtles I'm seeing have been in my own backyard, where I could enjoy watching them for a while. However, I know that a lot of people do have the backyard habitat to support turtles and I want you folks to know I envy you!
Depending on how you count, there are six or seven turtles found in New Hampshire. You are less likely to see four of them: Spotted, Common Musk, Blanding's, and Wood. Any Eastern Box Turtle you find now probably is not a native, but a released pet, although they used to be natives. The most commonly seen are the Eastern Painted Turtle and the Snapping Turtle.
The Painted Turtle, the most widespread turtle in the state and in all of North America, is the one you see sitting on a rock in the middle of a pond, basking in the sun. It has yellow stripes on its face, like the Common Musk Turtle, but the red markings around the edge of its shell identify it as a Painted Turtle. The back shell plates sit in straight rows on the shell. This turtle grows to between 4 and 10 inches long. Painted Turtles lay their eggs in June in clutches that usually include fewer than 10 eggs. These will hatch in September. The little hatchlings often overwinter in the nest. In the spring, they will leave the nest to head for the nearest body of water.
The Snapping Turtle is New Hampshire's largest turtle, growing to between 8 and 18 inches long. It is black all over, with no bright colors on its head or neck. You will also recognize it from its long, spiny tail. It has a powerful jaw and long neck, so you need to be careful if you need to handle it. The male Snapper grows much larger than the females, unlike most other reptiles, where the reverse is true. Snappers are mostly aquatic; they come on land only to lay their eggs or to travel to another body of water. They do not bask in the sun like Painted Turtles do. The female Snapper tends to use the same nest site year after year, laying a clutch of 20 to 30 eggs in June or July. (These are the turtles you see crossing roads, loyally trying to return to their usual nest site.) The eggs hatch any time from late August to early October. They, too, will often overwinter in the nest, or they may go look for water right away.
Both Snapping Turtles and Painted Turtles, along with all of the other turtles found in New Hampshire except the Wood Turtle, produce male or female young depending on the temperature around the egg at a certain crucial time in its development.
Females develop in the warmest and coolest areas, males in the temperature area in the middle. The sex of eggs of the Wood Turtle is determined genetically.
New Hampshire's turtles, like those in all northern states, take a longer time to grow than those in warmer climes because they need to hibernate in the winter. Some take as long as 20 years to reach reproductive maturity.
There are many threats to turtle populations in the state as development increases. Because turtles need water to live in and drier, upland areas for nesting, there is increasing risk to their population as small bodies of water and vernal pools are drained and filled, and larger land areas are paved or built upon. One study in Maine found some female turtles traveling a half mile to find nesting sites. Of course, this often includes crossing roads and open, unprotected fields.
If you have turtles in your pond, or have seen a female lay eggs in a nest next to your driveway (a favorite place for snappers) or in the mulch in your flower garden (another favorite place), you are one of the lucky people. You have a front row seat to observe beings that have changed very little since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Treasure and protect the shelled neighbors who live outside your backyard window to prehistoric sights.

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