| Northern map turtle | |
|---|---|
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| Gatineau, Quebec | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Emydidae |
| Genus: | Graptemys |
| Species: | G. geographica |
| Binomial name | |
| Graptemys geographica | |
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| Range map | |
| Synonyms | |
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The northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica), also known as the common map turtle, [4] is an aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. It is endemic to North America.
The northern map turtle gets both its common and scientific names from the markings on its carapace, which resemble contour lines on a map or chart. [5] These lines are usually shades of yellow, tan, or orange, and are surrounded by dark borders, with the rest of the carapace being olive or greyish brown. However, the carapace markings tend to fade as the animal matures, and in older individuals are usually only visible when the shell is wet. The carapace has a hydrodynamic appearance and is broad with a moderately low keel. The rear of the carapace is flared and the rear marginals form serrations. The plastron is yellowish and is marked by a central dark blotch (plastral figure) that follows the sutures of the plastral scutes and fades with age so that many adults lack a pattern all together (i.e., the plastron is immaculate). The head, neck, limbs and tail are dark green with thin yellow stripes, and an oval or triangular spot is located behind each eye. Like other map turtles, this species exhibits extreme sexual size dimorphism; [6] males are 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in) in carapace length and weigh between 150–400 g (5.3–14.1 oz), while females are 18–27 cm (7.1–10.6 in) in carapace length and weigh around 0.67–2.5 kg (1.5–5.5 lb). Females have a much wider head than males and this is associated with differences in feeding. [6] Males have a narrower carapace with more distinct keel, narrower head, and a longer, thicker tail. Unlike females, the opening of the cloaca is beyond the rear edge of the carapace. Young map turtles have a pronounced dorsal keel. Hatchlings have a round greyish-brown carapace that is about 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long.
Northern map turtles inhabit an area from south Quebec and Ontario to northern Vermont where it lives in the St. Lawrence River drainage basin. Its range extends west through the Great Lakes and into southern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, west of the Appalachians, south to Kansas and northwestern Georgia. A population has been found in Northeastern Mississippi. [7] It also occurs in the Susquehanna River system in Pennsylvania and Maryland and the Delaware River. Also, a small European population occurs in the Czech Republic, which was formed from escaped or released turtles and their descendants. In the Czech Republic, this turtle is considered an alien species, but is threatened together with Czech native turtles, other reptiles and amphibians by a large population of another invasive turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans .
The northern map turtle inhabits ponds, rivers, and lakes. They prefer large bodies of water and areas with fallen trees and other debris for basking. These turtles are more often found in rivers than in lakes or ponds. They are found in larger rivers and lakes in the northern portion of their range [8] but are more likely to live in smaller rocky rivers and streams in the south and west. Since they are turtles, naturally they need the sun to survive. [6]
This turtle is dormant November through April, depending on local climatic factors. Northern map turtles spend the winter under water and do not surface to breathe, especially when ice cover makes this impossible. Adults rest on the bottom or wedged underneath rocks or logs and often hibernate communally with other northern map turtles where they may remain somewhat active throughout the entirety of the winter. [9] Hibernacula must be well oxygenated because, unlike some other turtle species such as painted turtles, map turtles need to absorb oxygen from the water to survive the winter. [6] They typically bask in groups and are diurnal, meaning they are active exclusively in daylight hours. Northern map turtles are also quite shy and difficult to approach; they usually slip into the water and hide at the first hint of danger.
Northern map turtles breed in the spring and fall. Most mating takes place in deep waters. The nesting period lasts from May to July. Unshaded sites with sandy soil are highly preferred. The female usually chooses well-drained areas for depositing the eggs. The nest cavity is dug with the hind feet. The size of the clutch is between six and 20. The eggs are oval, about 3.2 cm (1.3 in) long, and have a flexible shell. After the eggs are laid, the cavity is filled. They hatch after 50 to 70 days of incubation, and most hatchlings emerge in August to September. When a nest hatches late, the northern map turtle hatchlings have been known to overwinter in the nest. The female usually lays two or more clutches in one breeding season. The sexes of the young are determined by the temperature. At 25 °C (77 °F), incubation produces a majority of males, whereas 30 to 35 °C (86 to 95 °F) yields more females.
Map turtles are more carnivorous than most other members of the family Emydidae, and this includes the northern map turtle. Adult females have wide heads, strong jaws and broad alveolar crushing surfaces in their mouths which they use to feed on molluscs, their primary prey, as well as insects and crayfish. [6] Adult males are much smaller and have narrower heads and feed on smaller molluscs and insects. [6] Like most other aquatic turtles, feeding always takes place in the water. In places where invasive molluscs such as zebra mussels and Asian clams ( Corbicula fluminea ) are abundant, they may become the most important food of female northern map turtles. [10]
Map turtles are considered habitat specialists and may be replaced by a more tolerant species when their habitat is altered. [11] Unfortunately the effects of human interference by way boating and recreation on shorelines are likely impeding the map turtle from re-establishing itself in natural areas. [12] Thus, populations of Northern map turtles have probably declined across their entire natural range but they remain widespread and may be abundant in some locations. [6] The species is classified as least concern by the IUCN.
Collecting, keeping, and selling of northern map turtles is prohibited by Animals in Captivity regulations in nine states. It is considered endangered in Kansas, Kentucky, and Maryland. [13]
Like most jurisdictions of the United States, Canada lists northern map turtles as a species of special concern. This means that they are being threatened by something but are not yet endangered. They are being watched carefully. [14]
The Blanding's turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. This species is native to central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range. The Blanding's turtle is of interest in longevity research, as it shows few or no common signs of aging and is physically active and capable of reproduction into eight or nine decades of life.
The Alabama red-bellied cooter or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to Alabama. It belongs to the turtle family Emydidae, the pond turtles. It is the official reptile of the state of Alabama.
Graptemys is a genus of freshwater turtles containing 14 species, commonly known as map turtles. Graptemys are small to medium-sized turtles that are significantly sexually dimorphic, with females in some species attaining as much as twice the length and ten times the mass as males. Depending on the species, adult males range from 7–16 cm (2.75–6.25 in), adult females 10–29.5 cm (4–11.62 in), and hatchlings 2.5–3.8 cm (1–1.5 in), although some sources indicate female Barbour's map turtles grow to 33 cm (13 in) in length. Most species have a distinctive dark pigmented keel that is often notched or serrated running down the center of the carapace and serrated scutes on the rear margin. The head, neck, and limbs exhibit bold patterns of yellow lines and spots against darker green, olive, or black base colors. The patterns on the head can be important characters in identifying the various species. The common name "map turtle" is derived from the intricate patterns on their shells that are suggestive of topographical maps, although the patterns are more apparent in some species than others, and often become obscure in older specimens. Some species are occasionally called "sawbacks", in reference to the serrated keels on their shell.
The spiny softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, spinifera (spine-bearing), refer to the spiny, cone-like projections on the leading edge of the carapace, which are not scutes (scales).
The Florida softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is native to the Southeastern United States.
The western pond turtle, also known commonly as the Pacific pond turtle is a species of small to medium-sized turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the western coast of the United States and Mexico, ranging from western Washington state to northern Baja California. It was formerly found in Canada, but in May 2002, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the Pacific pond turtle as being extirpated.
The river cooter is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States, but has been introduced into parts of California, Washington, and British Columbia.
The Texas map turtle is a species of emydid turtle endemic to Texas.
The Caspian turtle, also known as the striped-neck terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae (=Bataguridae). It is found in west Asia, in Iran and central Turkey, northward to the Republic of Georgia and eastward to southwestern Turkmenistan, and in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
Barbour's map turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.
Cagle's map turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to Texas, where it is native to the Guadalupe, San Antonio, and San Marcos Rivers.
The Escambia map turtle, also known commonly as Ernst's map turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the United States.
The yellow-blotched map turtle, or yellow-blotched sawback, is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. It is part of the narrow-headed group of map turtles, and is endemic to the southern United States.
The black-knobbed map turtle, formerly known as the black-knobbed sawback, is a small to medium-sized aquatic turtle with light gray skin. Some of the most distinguishing characteristics of the black-knobbed map turtle, and the Graptemys genus, are the protruding "spikes" on the turtle's carapace. This species inhabits mainly the fall lines of rivers in the Mobile Bay drainage, in Alabama and Mississippi.
The ringed map turtle or ringed sawback is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae endemic to the southern United States.
Dahl's toad-headed turtle is a medium-sized species of side-necked turtle in the family Chelidae. This critically endangered freshwater turtle is endemic to northern Colombia, where it lives in small pools, streams, and swamps, but aestivates on land.
Vanderhaege's toad-headed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America.
The false map turtle is a species of turtle endemic to the United States. It is a commonly-kept pet species. Two subspecies are recognized—the nominate subspecies, described here, and the Mississippi map turtle.
The Ouachita map turtle is a species of turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.
The Alabama map turtle is a species of emydid turtle endemic to the southern United States. Differentiation from other turtle species includes a black stripe running down the center of its back with knobs extruding from it, but these projections wear down with age. T.H. Bean and L. Kumlen first collected the Alabama map turtle in July 1876 from a lake near Montgomery, Alabama. Type locality for this species is Montgomery County, Alabama. Baur described and named the Alabama map turtle in 1893. The genus Graptemys includes nine species of mostly aquatic turtles.
Emydidae family | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Genera |
|  | ||
| Chrysemys | ||||
| Clemmys | ||||
| Deirochelys | ||||
| Actinemys | ||||
| Emys | ||||
| Emydoidea | ||||
| Glyptemys | ||||
| Graptemys | ||||
| Malaclemys | ||||
| Pseudemys | ||||
| Terrapene | ||||
| Trachemys | ||||
| † Wilburemys | ||||
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct. | ||||
| Authority control databases: National |
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