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Home My WebLink AboutJuly 01, 2004 - A triumvirate of turtles � � V�� The Suffolk Times • July 1, 2004 r�u�n. l,°bn,�� r1H�r tilqn ��,� �i��ia� ��d�/�N��/l N��wid'��/ A� u"��y� �4 � �i�� ti� � u � � y� � ,�y V 6 '�i n . '1�3;`�� i ,�+yf&i '"P@� ryy'�' � F\.r I�ir ��9 kF�I '��s�#��' �.ns,M#,y�,ysW�'�� "'3�!I �� l�17/r��i��bN�" � �9�. 3��'� /i � rm � a � >x r��, i e��" '' y� ��„�. „ �y �� ° ti.i �� y� N � y N � ,:.�,' r ,._ ;, '� /" '� ' � � � �„ � iur��r � n r �v . �. " '�� "�1,��ll�li� 4 ,u,ro� i p � � ' � � � � ,� �� r �- , � " , � a,� , , , a � �/�� A,��r�� ,.,',�r � � � N� �;M p � b �f., y ,�^ � 7 '�� a "' ��' ;.r� ryl '�'�'�� '��ti „r,�: �.:. ""'"�1��'""w.. ^ �' � �" �' '.��..: ^�+��,wq�.�'k+�'A� ��. / � li7 � .� �i�' . d � . , . . � y?s�*�` ,. �,��x�� N,„.r . �!. ( .�� ;j�� . 4 �. . �ir '�.�'+�A ?"�` �d'�, �1� y � � ,�i r p. �'. m) i �y, d� ��d, �'�'L�q9�p v✓ . W �,u ..�, , ..:,,, ;., ��i �rxJ�i„" " ��" � � ,i�KK`� ��. �i tl � ` °ul�uu��M d � �M� 'A �y P � ,�F ky �� ',4,v� ��'�. q v4��1�;,�Y�� a;. �P,. � � � � . . � �. "�f t '�� ,.� r„ ��' �� 6' � ,��.� -�' r�,�,_.. � � n�� r;,`�N�`� ��„�� ✓ ., , ;; q inr o �l r +� � v �'�� dll i i i � �d�'�'�� ll�", � : � `� �,� ��r I l °��, �U�II�e�i � ��"a � � � � n�, ��+.k' � � " �i i� : C, �� ' �'�, � �, ;�,� l��$ � .. G ° � � �a Y . i� r �� q��' � ��ey�. � �'�• . l' N� l� l�� N I � ; h � `",� {r�' R I, �.�.�i 4 � �I � �� .' � � .:� �i'. /�� .x 7�� N�� p .,��„�y�� °�yeMN k �F 4 . �d i �� lN �r I �µ �y. �' f� '�"�,n � . ( �� i%i 1J� �lM�� l l I"H �p�� L��' ,� R.� �;�/�j� �� :.�.X' WH1?N WAS'I'ill�. I_/�SI' 1i111e y(>U 521W �t ��" ` � '�+��,wi'�'„�.r�/"� �,y� � � �y/� �^'' � � �, � box turtle? I bet some of you have ncver �� " e °�'" � a,'"�"�'��i�a3,a�"`��{(� '� �'' x� R�`� ,�' y. �� I��X{.. ^�'r'Y � � : w'� .� seen this wanderer of our woodland. I �``r . can remember when we were kids we could find one almost anywhere.As soon as school was out,the shoes came off,and �I�urtles stay i❑ the samr gcncral area whcrc thcy the rest of the summer we went barefooL are born.Some live to a ripe old age. Roy Latham By mid summer our feet were as tough as c>1 Orient told me of one marked turtle that lived leather and only to 80 years and was still going.A box turtle lays its occasionally we'd get eggs in the ground and lets the warmth of summer FQC V$ a cut.When we did, incubate them.They usually have as many as six ON we picked up grains eggs.They'll eat just about everything they come of sand in the cut, across.I remember seeing one eat a mushroom.It �[A'�'1JRE and then it would gct just chomped away at it as if it was a piece of cake by Paul infected.My mothcr Turtles eat insects of all sorts and so are a great Stoutenburgh Would sterilize a nee- asset to have around your place.They even enjoy dle under a match the slimy slugs that we all try to eliminate from flame until it glowed our gardens. and then she'd probe the cut (ouch!) to Most turtles are harmless and can be picked up gct the grains of sand out.Then she'd and looked at.The law protects box turtles so you wash it with soap and water. can't keep them as pets.It's perfectly okay to look Yet we lived through those teenage at them and maybc watch them for half a day on years.The area where we lived had a your lawn but thcn let thcm go on their way. It's road just pushed through the woods, .,,,� �„ I��,,,��1-cci I��I:ii,�, iiicm c,vice !r�� t ;h�_�� which hadn't been paved as yet.Here we'd have box turtle races. Each one of us would look for the; biggest and strongest turtle to match up against the others.Usually we'd have four or five turtles . , � competing against each other. ' ' ^ � ��` ��" � ��i�"'� � "y� � � �� ; , �,��, „�ti, ; n , h � .o„ � �� We were always told,and I guess there is some � � , � . � , A ' „�r�',;�„�.�. truth in it,that the bright red eye of the box turtle � �� . � � � � � � �" .--�`��•` � meant it was a male.The female would have much ,; �r� ��,�� a�,,� � darker red,yellow or even brown eyes.In those ,�,�� `� �,. da s it was the onl turtle around that I can � ' " � �� *""" "`"� remember.We could find them everywhere in ` �N��,��'�r�,•�� s� .�. �� ,"""'""�� r � those earl da s before blackto mamcured lawns �1 • �'�;� �1� � �" �� , '��''�`r �� '� � Y Y y � � ,�,� ,�� .,� . .,,. � . n, . ,�; p, � r�� . and the general loss of the turtles' habrtat.Toda ,� ,,�;w , �- �' it's a rare find and so when we found one on our - lawn the other day,we had to pick it up and check ; � �- �� ; � � � it out. had a c ance to reacyua�nt oursc ves with one that walked acr�ss thc road in front of us.We had to stop and look �'°� � once again at this creature from the past.These �� Usually we'(� turtles have been around for some 200 million o � a� years—even before the dinosaurs;they were ? Q� have four or around long before the birds showed up.They � � � 'FlVe tlll"t�@S come from a long line of relics of the past.Of all ro `� � eompeting our turtles,it looks more prehistoric than any �% �' other.You might say it s also a little more ugly �'� °' against eaeh than the rest. �`� � � . �� other. Of course,like all turtles,they were little once. o_� � But bein aggressive and being opportunists,many a� c� snapping turtles grow to a ripe old age, � Q � some weighing as much as 80 pounds, � o .� hnck in the same spot you found then� unless you and are as big around as a garbage-can �� .� arc concerned about the turtle being in danger. cover.I continually get calls from peo- � � � Tne lawn mower and cars are probably the great- ple who for the first time have seen this �� est destroyers of turtles now that man has taken gigantic creature lunging slowly ahead, o � over their happy hunting grounds. each step like some slow-motion � c� When you look at the box turtle from below,you machine.What it's doing is probably � �� °- can see it has a hinged section underneath so that looking for a spot to lay its eggs or just when in danger,the turtle can pull in its head and changing its base of operation. - x feet and tail completely and shut itself up in its One of the safest ways to pick these ��° shell so tightly that a piece of paper can't slide in � big turtles up is by their tail,but then > �� between the upper and lower shells. make sure you hold it far enough away from your Foxes and dogs and coyotes and others legs because it's truly a snapping turtle in every Q � have tried to get into this shell but mos � � sense of the word.The big ones can inflict a mean �- � have failed. a� o bite.Once they grab on they are like a bulldog; � Q- The next turtle we all should get to they hang on. X � know is the painted turtle.This is the Some people enjoy eating them because they o turtle you see basking in the sun on logs gr-ow so large they give you a fair amount of ineat. � � in ponds. I've seen as many as 10 of You often hear of turtle soup being made from � a� them sunning themselves at one time in � � our pond.They are cold blooded and these snapping turtles.Surely we can spare a t�cw c� love to come out and sit in the warm because they are quite a problem to wildlife. � � sun,but as soon as ou a roach the '�hc 'll cat an thin that moves,including bahy 0 o Y PP uc s,swans and geese.They attack � � pond,they slip off into the water where they'll from below,and once they get their �� wait until ou are one,then the 'll reclaim their o � �� y g Y prey in their jaws there's no saving z � g� it.They'll eat anything that moves. � � I'heir food is made up of aquatic plants and ani- Don't confuse this turtle with the � -a mals dead or alive,which they take under water to ones we see in our creek waters; o �°� eat.This is kind of a uni ue little trick if ou can � q Y that's the diamondback terrapin. � Q T do it.They are smooth shelled,olive to black,with These giant snapping turtles are sel- � � � red markings on the side,a yellow bottom shell dom seen in saltwater. I remember a .a ,� Q and lines of yellow on the face and neck.It's a time we were checking on some red- � � � neal little turtle to get acquainted with.You'll tailed hawks on Gardiners Island, _ � �n ncvcr find this turtle in the woods or in the c��cn which involved my walking through a �� ficicls,for it's seldom seen far from its nativc pon�(, a wet bog.As I carefully worked my � � � whcre it s ends most of its li�fe.The only �imc it way along,I stepped on what I � � � w� come ashore �s to ay its eggs,and thought was a large stone.What it 3 � � that's usually in June or July. In a turned out to be was a huge snap- � � i sandy spot not too far from the water ping turtle asleep in his muddy o � o it buries its eggs and,like other turtles, home.I did a quick two-step back o� � leaves them to the warmth of the sun and headed in a different direction. � � a� to incubate them.They'll hatch out in So these are probably the three `�,' � � the fall and,without eating,hibernate most common turtles you'll see.The o � T at the bottom of the pond through thc largest we see is the snapping turtle, E � � winter. then there's the painted turtle we � � � In the springtime they come out ancl see in our ponds,and hopefully � .c o i�'s at this time they are the most vul- you'll be able to find one of our � � �, ncrable to raccoons,skunks,crows or vanishing bort turtles.All turtles are � � � cvcn snakes,who take these uarter- 9 having a difficult time trying to live � � � sire little turtles for a snack. But with man and his mowed lawns and � o � they're hard to find and some get blacktop driveways.Let's hope there o � c through to grow.Once they're tllrec or will alwa,ys be those who will slow a `� �- four inches in size the re rett well Y' P Y down on the highway and let the protected in their hard-shell home. turtle pass or even,if possible,get The third and last turtle we should out and move the turtle off to the know ahout is our largest and orncri- side.Tltrtles of all kinds need our csi �>nc. It's the snapping turtle.We just help.