Tire Ruts & Rare Turtles
On a recent day with stellar weather, I was blessed to be tasked with surveying a swamp. I had good reason to think I’d run into some turtles, but I wasn’t sure which species I’d see.
This particular swamp has a pipeline running through it, so a wide swath of it gets mowed regularly for maintenance. I decided to traverse the pipeline on my way out of the swamp, in part because I was exhausted and it was the easy way out. But also, the edge habitat along the periphery of the pipeline was an optimal place to find some reptiles.
Wildlife proved to be plentiful, especially with respect to birds. Turtles were still elusive though, up until I came across some deep pools in the form of tire ruts. Half submerged and half exposed, my eye caught a familiar pattern basking in the water:
Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata). Pardon the sniffling. Allergies.
Shortly after, I came across two more sets of tire ruts, and each had a turtle in it:
Tire ruts are indiscernible from natural pools of water to wildlife, which can become a bit problematic. Turtles, amphibians, snakes, and all kinds of invertebrates are attracted to the ruts, but when a vehicle returns to use the same path, it puts wildlife in harms way. This is known as an ecological trap.
I would’ve relocated these turtles, if I didn’t know any better. In general, reptiles in temperate regions translocate poorly, due to their affinities for using the same routes and places to hibernate year in and year out. A turtle that is relocated outside of its home range will likely spend the rest of the year trying to find its way back home, and perish in the process.
Luckily, this wasn’t the first time Spotted Turtles were found under these circumstances at this particular site. They seem to be getting by fine. Perhaps they bury themselves deep in the mud before the vehicles return to mow.
No matter the case, I was grateful to see this elusive species. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more sightings before spring concludes.
As always, thanks for reading.
-Sebastian A. Harris