Turtle Species in Kingston Area
About our turtle species
About Turtles
Turtles like water, specifically wetlands. Canada contains more than 14% of the world’s wetland area, with most of those wetlands located in Ontario. Unfortunately, 70-90% of Ontario’s wetlands have disappeared due to development. This has led to serious fragmentation of the turtles’ habitat. Turtles must cross the many roads that intersect their wetlands in search of food sources and potential mates.
The full turtle season in Ontario is from March to October. Nesting season (May to late July/early August) is when adult turtles are more likely to be travelling and on roads. During this time, many turtles are killed and injured by vehicles as they cross the roads. Less than 1% of all turtle eggs will reach sexual maturity, so the loss of any adult turtle is a huge loss! The low egg survival rate means it can take 59 years for a turtle to replace itself!
Turtles do no harm and are considered ‘caretakers’ of our freshwater systems. They maintain the quality of water sources by consuming vast amounts of bacteria-producing carrion (decaying flesh), promoting stronger fish populations and a healthier environment for humans to enjoy. As species that spend time both in the water and on land, turtles act as a ’conduit’ of energy between terrestrial (land) and aquatic (water) ecosystems. Turtles are also considered a keystone species that other species rely on for survival. If our Ontario turtles were to disappear, ecosystems would change dramatically!
Turtle Conservation Facts
It is illegal to dig up a turtle nest, even if it is on your private property
It is illegal to keep a native turtle captive for any reason
It is illegal to keep a native turtle as a pet
Pet turtles should not be released into the wild, but instead given to an adoption organization likeLittle RESQ
Fishing hooks are often mistaken as food and ingested by turtles
Habitat loss is the main reason for the decline of turtle populations
Road mortality is the second highest reason for turtle population decline
The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre accepted more than 1,500 turtles in 2019 for trauma treatment
In 2019, Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre harvested close to 800 eggs from gravid turtles who did not survive road trauma
General Turtle Facts
There are 320 species of turtle in the world.
There are 10 species of turtles in Canada. All are classified as Species at Risk. Eight of these are found in Ontario (five in the Kingston area)
Turtles have been on the planet for more than 220 million years (220,000,000 years)
The upper shell of a turtle is called the carapace. The bottom shell is the plastron
Turtles have nerve endings in their shells, so they will feel pain when they are cracked or split
Turtles have ears, so they can hear quite well
Turtles can live well over 100 years but, it is not really understood how long turtles live. Part of the problem is that they are such a long-lived species that they outlive the length of the research project.
Turtles will take 8-20 years to reach sexual maturity
Female turtles can hold onto sperm for 2-3 years, so they can fertilize themselves
Turtles are omnivorous, eating both plants and animals
Turtles are ‘cold blooded’ reptiles (ectotherms), meaning their internal temperature matches that of their surroundings. Because of this, they cannot function in cold temperatures. Instead they brumate (similar to hibernation). It also means they take a long time to heal from injuries
For most species, the turtle and its shell both grow, as a result the shell will shed or peel away to make way for new, larger scutes - known as scute shedding
Turtles do not have teeth but rely on powerful jaws to eat
A turtle’s sex is determined by the temperature of the nest when they are incubating
Turtles do not have a diaphragm to help them breathe, so they are prone to respiratory issues
Turtles can survive long periods without food. Oddly, they will not lose weight when they don’t eat for extended periods
Male turtles are into ‘head bopping’ and will jerk their heads up/down and side to side to release pheromones into the water
Turtle Species
Southern Ontario is the place for turtles in Canada, with the greatest diversity of turtles living here. They can be found in a variety of habitats such as lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, and bogs.
Wildlife in Canada is designated as Endangered, Threatened, Species of Special Concern, or Not at Risk. All 8 of Ontario’s turtles are listed as Species at Risk (Endangered, Threatened, or Species of Special concern). Kingston is home to 5 of the 8 Ontario turtle species.
Northern Map Turtles
Graptemys geographica
Northern map turtles are a common sight around Kingston. They like large bodies of water in and around the Great Lakes where they eat crustaceans and mollusks.
Like Painted turtles, the Northern Map turtles enjoy basking on logs. They may be mistaken as painted turtles but they do not have red lines. Instead, they have ‘contoured’ yellow lines on both their shell and neck/face resembling lines on a map. They have a yellow spot behind their eye and their carapace (top shell) has a serrated ridge at the back. Male map turtles range from 9-16 cm in length and females are 18-27 cm in length.
The Northern Map turtle is listed as Special Concern. Northern Map turtles are at elevated risk for boat impact injuries as they travel across lake waters.
Clutch and Incubation Facts: 7-23 eggs that will hatch in 60-90 days, although hatchlings often overwinter in the nest (remain in the nest until spring).
Eastern Musk Turtle (“Stinkpot”)
Sternotherus odoratus
The eastern musk turtle is one of the world’s smallest turtles (9-12 cm in length). They are found in Kingston, but due to their shy nature and love of water, the musk turtle is seldom seen. They prefer shallow water with plenty of aquatic vegetation such as lily pads.
Musk turtles can be identified by their small size, small fleshy ‘tags’ on their chin and neck, domed carapace (top shell), as well as their long neck and pointy snout-like nose! Some musk turtles have a yellow streak that extends from their eye down their neck. They are also often covered in algae
The musk turtle is also known as a ‘Stinkpot’ since they produce a musky, skunk-like odour when disturbed. This turtle species is listed as Special Concern.
Clutch and Incubation Facts: 2-5 eggs that will hatch in 60-90 days. It is unknown where eastern musk turtles lay their eggs, but eggs have previously been found in grass and on beaver dams — sometimes not even covered.
Blanding’s Turtle
Emydoidea blandingii
Blanding’s turtles are also known as the smiling turtle! These turtles are semi-aquatic and spend lots of time on land migrating between seasonal habitats. Their home range can be up to 15 km across and include several different habitats. Blanding’s turtles can be found in Kingston, but they have a smaller population and are harder to find.
The easiest way to identify a Blanding’s turtle is by their bright yellow chin and throat (underside of neck). They also have a highly domed carapace (top shell) that may have white or yellow spots. Their plastron (bottom shell) is yellow with dark black blotches on each scute (section) and “hinged” to allow it to close for protection. These turtles range from 12-27 cm in length.
Partially related to their need for a larger habitat and their tendency to migrate on land, these turtles are listed as Threatened in Ontario and Endangered in Nova Scotia and across Canada.
Clutch and Incubation Facts: 4-13 eggs that will hatch in 60-90 days
Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Snapping turtles are a common sight in Kingston. They are the largest freshwater turtle native to Ontario, ranging from 20-50 cm in length. Snapping turtles have a nasty disposition when on land because of a small belly plate (or plastron) that provides little protection to their exposed skin. You can identify a snapping turtle by their ‘dinosaur’ like tail (long tail with serrated points) and large head / legs.
Snapping turtles are thought to live more than 100 years and take upwards of 20 years to reach sexual maturity. This, combined with low survival rate of eggs and hatchlings, is one reason the snapping turtle is listed as a species of Special Concern. It is estimated that it takes about 1500 eggs and 59 years to replace one lost adult snapping turtle.
Clutch and Incubation Facts: 6-104 eggs that will hatch in 80-90 days
Midland Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
One of the most common turtles in Kingston, they are often seen basking on logs in water bodies. They live in the water and will come onto land to nest and migrate.
Midland painted turtles can be identified by the red and yellow stripes on their heads. Their plastron (bottom shell) will have a grey/black splotch in the centre (this may be absent in older turtles). The carapace (top shell) has red blotches along the edges. They are generally 11-14 cm in length as an adult.
Midland painted turtles may be confused with red-eared sliders. Red-eared sliders are not native to Ontario, but are the result of pets being released into the wild. Red-eared sliders will have a large red blotch behind each eye and their plastron will have multiple dark circles and blotches. These turtles are also generally larger ranging from 12-29 cm in length.
Although you may see many painted turtles, they are still considered a species of Special Concern because of high road mortality rates that drastically impact their population numbers.
Clutch and Incubation Facts: 3-15 eggs that will hatch in 60-90 days, although hatchlings often overwinter in the nest (remain in the nest until spring).