Record of Our Elders
What is an elder?
It is just about impossible to tell the true age of any turtle; because turtles themselves grow at different rates, and climate and food availability also impact growth rates. However, due to a study in Algonquin Park, we can take an educated guess to approximate age in the same ecoregion, based on charted and projected growth rates.
Despite the variation in sizes, turtles grow larger each year, and the older they are, the slower they grow. Therefore, we consider an elder any large turtle!
For snappers generally: any turtle whose carapace is more than 1ft in length would be considered an elder.
For Blanding's turtles, male or even female map turtles, any turtle that is larger than cereal bowl is certainly an adult and worthy of a place in the registry...
For the smaller turtles, their growth is so finely measured, that unfortunately we could not determine or provide viable standards on sizing, however, should you find a very large stinkpot/musk turtle or other honorable soul of distinction, please report it here as well.
Thank you!
Turtle Guardians will be maintaining a database of Elders (turtles) across Ontario, with a focus on Snapping Turtles (as the largest turtles in the province, and where Elders are easier to identify by size).
We hope that these accounts will help communities understand, appreciate, and save these amazing icons, as well as conserve their habitats.
Adult turtles are cornerstones for turtle populations; they have very few natural predators or natural threats comparted to nests, hatchlings and juveniles, and they seem to maintain their ability to reproduce for their entire adult lives. Therefore, because only 0.06% of eggs/juveniles in exurban or rural areas will reach adulthood, adult turtles are essential to keep populations stable.
Do you have an Elder in your community? Please let us know by completing the form below: