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| Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta) COSEWIC Status-Special Concern OMNR-Vulnerable |
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With permission of the
Royal Ontario Museum © ROM
Note: These maps show the approximate range of these species. |
| Description: A medium sized turtle, 15-25 cm in length with a dull brownish carapace. The shell is low and broad. Each scute has raised circular growth rings and looks like it was carved from wood. These growth rings can determine the age of juveniles and young adults but is not accurate for turtles over 20 years. The legs and neck are heavily scaled and the inner portions are orange coloured. The head is dark. Mature males have higher shells and longer, thicker tails than females. The plastron is yellow with a black blotch on the outer portion of each scute. The hatchlings are light grey to brown and lack the orange colour of the adults. | |
| Habitat: Open canopied forests with cool, moderate to fast flowing
streams with sand or gravel bottom. Habits: Hibernates from mid-October to mid-April. The wood turtle may hibernate communally. They are quite gregarious in the spring and fall but more solitary during the summer months when they move into upland forests to forage. The wood turtle is an omnivore, consuming leaves, berries, insects, slugs and earthworms. During their terrestrial movements, they are vulnerable to predators. |
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Mating usually takes place in the fall or spring. In late May to mid- June an average of 10 eggs are laid in gravel or sandy areas exposed to sun. These eggs take between 47-69 days to incubate. The nest temperature affects the rate of incubation but not the sex. A wood turtle reaches maturity around 17 years of age and may live 40 years. |