Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

County List:

Rule:

Forested or Nonforested Landscapes

1st alternative:
      Any Open Water 
   adjacent to:
      (Any Emergent Wetland or Lowland Brush)

2nd alternative:
      Any Emergent Wetland

Habitat List:

view size class definitions

Literature:

Primary threats to this species include loss or altering of wetland habitats and destruction on roads.

Blanding's turtles inhabit shallow bodies of water with some aquatic plant growth and a muddy bottom, such as marshes, ponds, and river backwaters. They are most often seen wandering overland in spring and fall. Females seeking nest sites may travel considerable distances.

Most feeding occurs under water, where prey is captured by a quick thrust of the long neck. Favorite foods include crayfish, insects, tadpoles, frogs, and carrion.

Habitat: Shallow waters preferred; marshes, bogs, ditches, ponds, swamps, also in protected coves and inlets of large lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation. May wander overland. Basks on logs, stumps, banks. Active in winter or hibernates in mud or debris.

Nests made in sandy soils in upland areas.

Special Habitat Requirements: Shallow waters with soft muddy bottoms and aquatic vegetation.

Blanding's turtles are primarily aquatic, and in Maine they frequent marshes, shrub swamps, slow-moving rivers and streams, and even farm ponds. Shallow, dark, heavily vegetated waters are preferred. In riverine locations, they select the slow-moving waters characteristic of oxbow marshes. Vernal pools are extremely important feeding areas in spring and summer. Radio-tagged turtles in Maine traveled nearly a km between wetlands and utilized a variety of wetland types during the summer. Although habitat requirements of the young are not clear, it is possible that they spend a portion of their time in the damp, peripheral environs of the marsh. Terrestrial nesting habitat is a must for this species and well-drained settings, frequently those under agricultural use, are often sought out as much as a km from water.

Marshland manipulation (including both drainage and impoundment) has certainly reduced available habitat, and the alarming trend of decreased agricultural land use could discourage population expansion through reduction in available preferred nesting substrate. Conserving all wetlands, upland corridors between wetlands, and nesting habitat, together with strict water pollution control, will be vital to the survival and increase of the Blanding's Turtle in Maine.