Blanding’s turtle

EN - Endangered

N4 - Apparently Secure

S2 - Imperiled

Threatened

Species in Greatest Conservation Need

Blanding’s turtle is a long-lived, medium-sized turtle. Adult males are of 6¾″ to 10¾″ in length. Females are a little smaller.

The hard upper shell (carapace) is elongated, smooth, and high domed. It is black with scattered yellow flecks or dots. It does not have a longitudinal raised ridge. In some individuals the carapace appears almost entirely black. The scales (scutes) that form the carapace are flat, not sculpted.

The lower shell (plastron) is hinged between the forward (pectoral) and rear (abdominal) scutes, allowing it to completely close its shell. There is a V-shaped notch near the tail. Each scute has a large dark blotch on the outer edge, at least at the rear corner. On males the plastron is slightly concave. On females it is more flat.

The head, neck, legs, and tail are black or dark brown and are sometimes speckled with yellow. The chin, throat, and underside of the neck are bright yellow.

The head is elongated and small. The snout is short and rounded. The upper jaw is notched, giving the appearance of a permanent smile. On females the upper jaw has some yellowish, vertical striping. On males, the upper jaw is black and unmarked. The neck is short. The neck and head together are less than half as long as the plastron.

The legs are modified for swimming but are not flipper-like. The toes are webbed.

The tail is short, less than half as long as the carapace. The female has a narrower tail than the male.

Carapace length: 6¾″ to 10¾″

Shallow wetlands near sandy uplands.

The hinged plastron allows the turtle to close the front of its shell. The concave plastron on males facilitates mating.

It is the first turtle to submerge when disturbed and the last to emerge after being disturbed.

75 years or more

As the temperature drops in mid-October, Blanding’s turtles turtles burrow into the muddy bottom of the deepest parts of a marsh, pond, or stream. They enter a state of sluggishness, inactivity, and torpor (brumation). It is similar to hibernation in mammals, but they stir occasionally to drink water or to bask in warm sunshine at ice margins. They emerge the following April and bask in the sun away from the shore. Mating takes place throughout the warm season but mostly in April and May. In late May to early June, after mating, the female finds an open sandy area to nest. She digs a hole about 6¾″ deep and deposits her clutch of eggs. The clutch size about 10 eggs on average but may be from 6 to 21. The eggs are elliptical and about 1½″ long. Hatchlings emerge from early August to mid-October. In mid-October Blanding’s

Hatchling mortality is high. Adults can survive 75 or more years. Females reach sexual maturity in 12 or more years.

Crayfish, insects, leeches, snails, small fish, frogs, berries, and other plant material.

Sources

7, 14, 24, 29, 30, 76, 78.

Widespread

Two classification schemes for the four turtles formerly included in the genus Clemmys have been proposed. In one scheme Blanding’s turtle and three other species are included in the genus Emys. In the other scheme Blanding’s turtle is the only species in the genus Emydoidea. Both names, Emydoidea blandingii and Emys blandingii, are currently (2014) in use.

Blanding turtle located in the cul de sac of Hillcrest Drive in Stacy, MN

Found near my home. Left alone in same spot/direction. I think it may have been a male.

Found in road near my home. Re-located it in direction it was going.

Location: 29274 Hillcrest Drive, Stacy, MN

Blanding turtle located in the cul de sac of Hillcrest Drive in Stacy, MN

Location: Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Weaver Dunes Unit

Location: Houston Co.

Location: Cass County

Over several years, I have only seen this turtle 3 times. She comes up from my pond to lay her eggs in dry sandy soil. Like clockwork, it happens 6/15-6/17 between 4-7 pm. I have not witnessed little Blandings, but hoped some have survived. Please don't disturb if one is seen laying eggs.

Location: Lino Lakes

Location: Crow Wing County, Crosby MN

Location: East Bethel

Crossing 222nd Ln NE, between Bataan St and Yancy St.  This was in a residential area.  Turtle's shell was domed shaped, dark colored, approx 9" long, with bright yellow chin/neck.  Had to pick it up and move it off the street.

Location: Ramsey, MN

Found near my home. Left alone in same spot/direction. I think it may have been a male.

Location: Oak Grove – Cedar Creek Dr NW, 3520, outside of Cedar Creek Conservation Area, heading across road from 3520 to Conservation Area.

That was a rainy day, and I was coming home early from work and spotted a lump in the road just past our driveway. I got out of my car and walked up to it realizing it was a turtle, and not the usual snapper or painted we get frequently. I took photos of it, not sure, but thinking it looked a lot like a blandings turtle. I picked her up and took her in the direction she was headed, safely across and away from the road. When I went out to check her out about 15 minutes later she was gone. Our land, from where she apparently was coming from, is mostly marsh, with some upland and lowland wooded areas and small area of lawn surrounding the house. We have a few open areas, a wet meadow, and swale in the woods near the road.

She, I am assuming she, as turtles in the spring head out to lay eggs, was about 6 inches long, maybe. Not large, but not small.

She was very definitely a blandings, with the yellow on her shell. I took the photos and compared them to online images and it was a match.

Cedar Creek Conservation area is a large area newly designated as a conservation area. It is comprised of Cedar Creek, adjacent flood plain and marshes and lowlands, other marshy areas, at least one fen, some upland savannah, old fields and some remnant prairie and savannah areas, and an old farmstead plot and fields near the Rum River, which the park also tracks along for a while.