Blanding's Turtle

Emydoidea blandingii

Blanding's Turtle has a smooth, shiny shell that looks like it’s wearing a helmet! They are friendly turtles that like to swim.

Habitat: Wetlands and ponds

Appearance

The Blanding's Turtle has a distinct bright yellow throat and chin, contrasting with its dark, domed shell that is often speckled with lighter flecks. Its lower shell is yellowish with dark blotches, and it features a unique hinged plastron.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassTestudinesOrderTestudinesFamilyEmydidaeGenusEmys

Blanding's Turtle

Interesting facts

Blanding's Turtles can gobble up food underwater without drinking a single drop!

If startled, these turtles can snap their hinged shell shut like a secret door!

The temperature of the nest decides if a baby Blanding's Turtle will be a boy or a girl!

They bury themselves in mud at the bottom of ponds to survive freezing winters.

Special abilities

Blanding's Turtle can eat its prey underwater without swallowing water, thanks to its unique mouth structure, helping them hunt efficiently.

Blanding's Turtle has a hinged lower shell that helps them enclose their head and limbs almost completely, protecting them from danger.

Blanding's Turtle can travel long distances over land, using its powerful legs to move between different wetland habitats for food or nesting.

Measurements & details

Length: 18-26 cm
Weight: 1-2.5 kg
Lifespan: 50-75 years
Top Speed: 0.5 km/h
Swim Speed: 2 km/h
Clutch Size: 6-20
Incubation: 50-80 days
Maximum Depth: 2 m

Diet & Feeding

A carnivore that uses its powerful jaws to crunch on crayfish, insects, and small fish.

Age differences: Young turtles consume more aquatic plants, but adults are primarily meat-eaters.

Primary Foods

crayfish
aquatic insects
snails
tadpoles
small fish

Foraging Methods

Ambush
Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Raccoons often raid turtle nests, eating eggs and hatchlings.

eaten by

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Large wading birds can prey on small or young Blanding's Turtles.

hunts

Appalachian Brook Crayfish

Cambarus bartonii

Turtles actively hunt and eat various native crayfish species.

shelters

Broadleaf Cattail

Typha latifolia

Dense cattail stands provide excellent cover and hiding spots.

Traits

Wildlife

Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.

Omnivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.

Ancient Lineage

This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years.

Longevous

This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.