By Amber Walden, Interpretive Naturalist
With their smooth black carapaces and yellow spots, spotted turtles are one of the more eye-catching turtles found in Ohio. Growing to just three to four inches in length, they have a marked preference for habitats of shallow sluggish waters such as vernal pools, marshes, bogs, wet woods, wet meadows and prairies with an abundance of vegetation coverage. They are most easily seen in early spring basking on logs, but will quickly dive into water when disturbed and swim to the bottom where they remain motionless, hide beneath logs or burrow in the muck. Spotted turtles feed on aquatic insect larvae, tadpoles, small frogs and vegetation.
In the spring, they are one of the first species to emerge from hibernation, typically in mid-March. Males, identified by their longer tails, concave plastrons (a series of bony plates on the underside of a turtle shell that protect the belly), light brown throats and brown eyes, will actively search for females to mate with during this time. After a successful mating, females (which have orange eyes and yellow throats) dig shallow nest cavities in areas not far from water and with abundant sunlight to lay two to four eggs. Eggs are laid in mid to late June and young (the size of a nickel) will hatch in September.
Spotted turtles are considered a threatened species in Ohio and are rarely seen in Lake County, but are known to exist. Increased populations of raccoons (which feed on eggs and young), habitat destruction for housing developments and agriculture, collection for the commercial pet trade and road mortalities are to blame for their declining populations. Lake Metroparks is one of many collaborators in the SPOTD Project working to protect environments and increase spotted turtle populations.
Dot
Dot was found in 2013 on the streets of Cleveland Heights, far from suitable habitat, and taken to a teacher at a local elementary school to have as a class pet. After doing research, the teacher identified her as a spotted turtle and brought her to the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center. Without knowing whether or not Dot had previously been someone’s pet, she was considered unreleasable. A little shy, Dot loves being in the water and resting, climbing, or scratching on her new mangrove root. Her favorite foods during enrichment are bloodworms and mealworms. She also has a fondness for moss and has been seen nuzzling it with her nose.