Facts about Wood Turtles
They are limited to North America. The wood turtle reaches carapace lengths of 6 to 9 inches. They can weigh anywhere from 0.4 – 1.5 kg. These turtles are quite intelligent and it is thaught that they have learning capacity of a rat. The wood turtle probably derives both its Latin and common names from the deep concentric growth rings and grooves known as ‘annuli' that mark the somewhat raised carapacial scutes, which give the shell a ‘sculpted' appearance as if carved from wood. The wood turtle is named for spending most of its time in wooded areas. The oldest known specimen in captivity was 58 years old. These turtles are omnivores. The wood turtle practices an extraordinary technique of hunting earthworms in which it thumps the earth, either by stomping its forefeet or rapidly dropping its shell to the ground. Earthworms appear to react to the vibrations by emerging from their burrows, and are then quickly snatched up. The wood turtles reach sexual maturity between 14 to 20 years. Their clutch size varies from 3 to 18 eggs. Their eggs need 47 to 69 days to hatch. They have a brown, sculptured carapace, with pyramidal scutes. It is a semi-aquatic turtle and dependent on streams, rivers, and ponds. |
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