Species of the Month

April’s article written by Brooke VanGroningen, Co-Op Student - Hamilton District Christian High School

If you have ever gone for a walk near a creek, marsh, pond, or lake in the summer, chances are you were able to spot a turtle sunning itself on a rock or floating log. Canada is home to eight different species of turtles, and the most common of these is the Painted Turtle. A little-known fact about the Painted Turtle is that there are four different types - eastern, western, midland, and southern. The eastern, western, and midland varieties are all subspecies, and while the southern painted turtle used to be another subspecies, it is now widely considered to be its own full species. Painted Turtles are distributed from southern Canada all the way down to Mexico, with each variation living within its own distinct region. Two of these subspecies are found in Ontario - the midland and the western varieties. Southern Ontario, however, is home to solely the midland variety.

While they are commonly found sitting in the sun during the warmer months, these turtles spend the entire winter underwater and can survive temperatures as low as -10ºC. Their blood contains a biological antifreeze that prevents their cells from freezing, ensuring that their heart can keep pumping and organs functioning during the long winter months. These turtles can live 55+ years in the wild thanks to this, as well as their ability to eat nearly anything they can find. They are omnivorous and their diet can consist of algae and vegetation as well as invertebrates, fish, frogs, and even carrion. While clutches of 4-13 eggs are generally laid in the ground in sunny areas in the spring and hatched in the fall, the hatchlings can remain inside the egg all winter if necessary. The sex of the hatchlings isn’t determined solely by genetics, but by the temperature of the nest during incubation. Warmer temperatures generally produce females, while cooler nests produce males. The two different sexes will mature at different rates, with males maturing at around 7-10 years and females maturing at 12-15 years old. Because of this, females – on average 15-18 cm long – grow to be bigger than males – usually 12-14 cm.