Wood turtle

Common card · No. 459666

The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a semi-aquatic turtle species in the family Emydidae. The species inhabits the northeastern United States and Canada. The wood turtle exists in a broad geographic range extending from Nova Scotia in the north (and east) across the Great Lakes region to Minnesota in the west, and Virginia in the south. In the past, it was forced south by encroaching glaciers: skeletal remains have been found as far south as Georgia. The genus Glyptemys contains only one other species of turtle: the bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii). The specific name, insculpta, refers to the rough, sculptured surface of the carapace. Wood turtles spend a great deal of time in or near trout streams and small rivers, preferring clear or tannin-stained streams with compacted and sandy bottoms. The wood turtle is a disturbance-dependent species that frequents forests and forest openings but will rarely be seen more than several hundred meters from flowing water. It is diurnal and is...

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