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Turtle Guardians

Kids & Communities Helping Ontario's Turtles

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  • About
    • What is a Turtle Guardian?
    • Become a guardian
    • Partners & supporters
    • The Land Between – Ontario’s Turtle Country
    • Contact
  • What is a Turtle Guardian?
    • Level 1 – Turtle ID & Turtle Camp
    • Level 2- Wetland Monitoring
    • Level 3 – Nest-sitting, Road Reconnaissance, Turtle Tunnels & Conservation
    • Level 4 & 5- Science permits
  • Turtle Conservation
    • So you found a turtle…
    • Helping a turtle across the road
    • Turtle Nesting
    • Snapping turtles & your lake
    • Helping Turtles Around Your Property
    • Turtle Tunnels
      • Tunnel Assessments
    • Road Reconnaissance
    • Wetland Watch
    • Become a Turtle Guardian
    • Turtle Walk 2019
    • Turtle Recovery Campaign
      • T5 Campaign
  • Learning Resources
    • Turtle Facts
    • Turtle identification
      • Parts of a turtle
      • Blanding’s Turtle
      • Map turtle
      • Painted turtle
      • Snapping turtle
      • Spiny softshell turtle
      • Spotted turtle
      • Stinkpot turtle/Musk turtle
      • Wood turtle
    • Turtle Habitats
      • Lakes and Rivers
      • Ponds and Marshes
      • Swamps and Carrs
      • Bogs and Fens
    • Curriculum and Apps
    • Research Reports
      • Habitat Requirements and Biology
    • The Land Between. Ontario’s Turtle Country
  • Member login
  • Sighting Report Form
  • Become a Turtle Guardian
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Turtle Facts

Turtle Factsspotted-resized

Range:

There are 8 species of turtles in Ontario. In the Land Between bioregion across central Ontario, we have 7 of the 8 species...and all species are listed federally as species at risk, which means that their populations are declining rapidly.

The Land Between bioregion is home to more than 1/3 of Ontario's entire turtle population. See our turtle country page for maps

Biology, Threats & Behaviour

Turtles love to eat dead and decaying things that are found at the bottom of ponds, lakes and wetlands- they help keep the water clean.

Snapping Turtles are very comfortable in water and typically only snap on land as they don't have an under-shell (pastron) so they cannot hide in their shells like other turtles. In water only 4 accounts have been recorded of them snapping, 3 when they have been kicked, and the 4th was because the turtle had been continually fed by humans and began to unnaturally associate humans with food.

Snapping turtles are the best scavengers, are fast swimmers, and are surprisingly gentle and curious when in the water.

Turtles are reptiles and ectothermic so their body temperature is the same as the environment that they are in.

Turtles are remarkable as the only creature with an exterior shell that is bone and part of their spine.

Turtles, like other reptiles (snakes) are often found basking on roads and rocks and logs when the temperature reaches approx. 21 degrees C in the early morning.

Turtles live a long time and have been estimated to live for over 100 years at least, with some studies showing that they can live up to 400 years, and with Indigenous Peoples across the world having told us that they live up to 1000 years. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing how old a turtle is and how long turtles live.

Turtles take a long time to mature until they can reproduce- up to 15 years.

Turtles need to live a long time because they have very low recruitment rates (few surviving offspring); in fact even for snapping turtles which lay more eggs than other species, less than 0.1% of turtle eggs will make it to adulthood .

This is because eggs and hatchlings face many threats;

  • many mammals love to eat turtle eggs and dig up nests;
  • if temperatures are too cold, the eggs won't hatch and
  • if just slightly cool,  for  most species, the hatchlings will be males (no breeding females);
  • if nests hatch, the young need to find water and while searching around are a eaten by birds,
  • if they find water they are then predated by fish

Altogether, this means that it takes almost 60 years on average for one adult snapping turtle to replace itself in the population.

Therefore, every adult turtle is precious and important for the stabilization of turtle populations and the continuation of the species.

Unfortunately turtles face many threats, from people taking turtles home as pets and out of the breeding populations, to pet trades, direct persecution by people who misunderstand that turtles are not aggressive when in their water habitats, the removal or alteration of habitats including lakeshores, bays, wetlands, and pathways between aquatic habitats. But nowadays, the main threat to turtles in road traffic!

Because adult turtles face fewer natural threats, they are the most important age class because they keep populations stable: Adults can have many more successful offspring and therefore are essential to keep turtle populations from declining.

Turtles emerge from hibernation in late April/early May and generally reach peak nesting times during the first two weeks in June. At this time females are heading to their annual nesting sites across roads, and some of these sites are actually on road shoulders. This is the most dangerous time for turtles.

When a turtle is hit and killed on the road, we lose the breeders and many future generations of turtles.

Turtle Island

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAFirst Nations call the earth "Turtle Island". This is because turtles are as old as dinosaurs and are said to have witnessed Creation...and the Creation story of the Mitche Saagiig First Nations of Ontario says that the world was created on the turtle's back.

Turtles have a relationship with the moon too: Every turtle in the world has 28 ridges around its carapace (top-shell) and there are 28 days between each full moon; and because every turtle has 13 scutes (ridges) on their carapace, and there are 13 full moons every year. Turtles main nesting season is around the first full moon in June; the Strawberry moon.

Finally the turtle is a symbol of Truth, and their 7 parts (legs, arms, tail, head, and shell) correspond to the 7 Grandfather Teachings for living a good life.

Turtle Habitats/Wetland Facts

Wetlands are nature's kidneys- they are vital in regulating water levels and cleaning water. Wetlands are habitats where water stands for more than 45 days of the year and therefore the dead leaves and debris turn into organic soils and plants that grow in wetlands are water-loving unique plants. Organic soils in wetlands act like sponges to hold on to water during floods and to release water during dry-times. Wetland plants and soils together filter water and take up pollutants and excess nutrients out of water, keeping water clean. Wetlands are essential habitats for over 70% of Ontario's species. Large mammals, frogs, birds, fish, and insects all use wetlands at some critical stage in their life- and wetlands are some of the most diverse and important habitats in the world. There are 4 main wetland types in Ontario: bogs, fens, swamps, and marshes. Wetlands are found at the mouth of rives, along rivers, shores of lakes, in isolated pockets surrounded by upland habitats, or in a string of connected habitats.

Turtles need to bask and therefore keeping or placing natural and simple features in the water such as dead timber or logs, will support turtles and also provide habitat for fishes.

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Recent News

  • Overwintering Turtles- How Turtles Hibernate
  • Turtles: The Coolest Navigators!
  • Kelly Wallace, Think Turtle Conservation Initiative, is the Turtle Guardian of The Year!
  • Turtle Research in Full Swing in The Land Between
  • The New TG App Helps You Report Sightings

Turtle Guardians is a program of The Land Between charity and invaluable partners. www.thelandbetween.ca

Contact: Leora Berman, Coordinator for Turtle Guardians at 705-457-4838, info@turtleguardians.ca or leora@turtleguardians.ca 

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turtleguardians

Kids & Communities Saving Turtles 🇨🇦 A National Charity to Help Our Oldest Relatives. 🐢 Follow us on Facebook or find us online @turtleguardians

Instagram post 2195369495057279216_8550716124 Is your Christmas tree looking a little bare? Instead of buying new plastic decorations that were most likely shipped from overseas, consider reusing decorations and ornaments from previous years! If you really do need some new ones you could try making your own or buying handmade decorations from local artists! Maybe someone can make us a tree topper that looks like Timothy...⠀
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#snappingturtle #ontarioturtles #timothy #turtleguardians #thelandbetween #haliburton #angeltreetopper #treeornaments #christmastree #merrychristmas #angel #december #happyholidays #greenchristmas #ecofriendlychristmas #reducewaste #reducereuserecycle #handmadeornaments
Instagram post 2193189624755468614_8550716124 Whether it is an artificial pre-lit tree or farmed fir or pine, Christmas trees are an iconic symbol of the season. BUT, which type is better for the environment? Artificial trees come with a lot of benefits; they’re clean, easy to put up and can be reused year after year. In contrast, real trees have to be cut down annually, shed their needles and are disposed of at the end of the season. So which is the greener option? It’s the real tree! Most artificial trees are made of PVC and steel, are shipped across seas from China and will eventually end up in a landfill. Real Christmas trees are farm grown, often on landscapes unsuitable for other crops, for around 15 years providing us with oxygen and habitats for wildlife. They are replaced as they are cut down and at the end of the season real trees can be recycled and many are used for mulch and barriers to erosion. ⠀
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#thelandbetween #ecofriendly #greenchristmas #happyholidays #climatechange  #reducewaste #december #tistheseason #christmastree #artificialtree #fir #spruce #pine #treefarm #recycle #habitat #wildlife #funfact #getoutside #december
Instagram post 2191044524101326738_8550716124 It’s time to start putting up the Christmas decorations and Timothy is using LED Christmas lights in the Turtle Guardians Headquarters. They use over 75% less energy than incandescent lighting and last 25x longer! It’s just one easy way to make your holidays as eco-friendly as possible! ⠀
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#timothy #snappingturtle #ontarioturtles #turtleguardians #thelandbetween #haliburton #ecofriendly #greenchristmas #happyholidays #led #ecofriendlychristmas #environmentallyfriendly #christmaslights #christmasdecorations #energyefficient #climatechange  #reducewaste #savetheturtles #december #tistheseason #festiveseason #christmasanimals
Instagram post 2189355698509085604_8550716124 It is December 1st and officially the most wonderful time of the year! I’m sure some of you will be doing your Christmas shopping online tomorrow for Cyber Monday so don’t forget to check out the Turtle Guardians online store! The Turtle Guardians 2020 wall calendar is the perfect gift that gives back with all proceeds going directly to turtle conservation and recovery! Follow the link in our profile to buy your own! ⠀
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#december #xmas #christmastime #themostwonderfultimeoftheyear #christmasshopping #giftsthatgiveback #tistheseason #cybermonday #onlineshopping #turtleguardians #thelandbetween #grassrootscharity #nongovernment #responsibleshopping
Instagram post 2187294710964236643_8550716124 Happy American Thanksgiving! Betty Boop, our invasive red-eared slider, wants to wish her American friends a Happy Thanksgiving! She will be celebrating with 56 other species of turtles that are native to the United States!⠀
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#happythanksgiving #turkeyday #americanthanksgiving #americanfootball #thankful #foodcoma #family #nativespecies #americanturtles #americantraditions #turtlesofamerica #redearedslider #bettyboop #savetheturtles #turtlefacts #turtleguardians #holiday #blessed
Instagram post 2185992724947946003_8550716124 Pop quiz! What species of Ontario turtle is this? I’ll give you a hint, they release a strong musky odour when threatened. It’s an eastern musk turtle, also known as a stinkpot! These are one of the smallest turtle species in Ontario and can be difficult to spot. They are generally nocturnal and prefer to spend their days basking under floating vegetation rather than basking in the open. ⠀
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#easternmuskturtle #stinkpot #ontarioturtles #savetheturtles #nocturnal #haliburton #turtleconservation #speciesatrisk #turtleguardians⠀
#thelandbetween #turtlefacts #popquiz #reptilefacts
Instagram post 2184489013453160174_8550716124 Tonight is the championship game of the Canadian Football League, the Grey Cup! The Hamilton Tiger Cats will be playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Calgary, Alberta. In an all Canadian league it’s difficult for us to pick favourites, but we do know that Hamilton is home to a lot of turtles... Vote to rename the Hamilton Tiger Cats to Hamilton Snapping Turtles?
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#tripod #paintedturtle #ontarioturtles #CFL #greycup #canadianfootballleague #football #halftimeshow #keithurban #turtleguardians #watchforturtles #thelandbetween #SPORTS #touchdown #hamiltontigercats #winnipegbluebombers #calgary #albertatourism #reptilesofinstagram #turtlesofinstagram
Instagram post 2181603603211308716_8550716124 Humans are endotherms. We generate our own body heat and when it’s cold we bundle up in clothing to trap the heat in. Turtles are ectotherms. They rely on an external source of heat to stay warm and their body temperature changes to match their environment. So while Betty looks amazing in her housecoat, we know it’s not practical, it’s strictly for style. ⠀
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#ectotherm #endotherm #bettyboop #redearedslider #turtlefacts #reptilesofinstagram #turtlesofinstagram #november #girlsnightin #noshavenovember #housecoat #pizzaparty #turtleguardians #thelandbetween #savetheturtles #macbook #pizza #cozy #conservationbiology
Instagram post 2179449084935192843_8550716124 In the Southern Hemisphere November is similar to what May is to us in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that for many species of turtles in countries such as; Australia, South Africa, and Brazil, nesting season is in full swing! ⠀
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#snappingturtle #ontarioturtles #nestingseason #thelandbetween #turtleguardians #southernhemisphere #australia #brazil #southafrica #turtlefacts #savetheturtles #november #may
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