GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS: LI Land Turtles
When it comes to your Long Island wildlife neighbors, how often do turtles come to mind? Most likely not often at all. Surprisingly, turtles can be found anywhere you look, they are all around us! It’s a sight to behold when we spot a turtle and they certainly do help us slow down and take notice.
Turtles have been our prehistoric neighbors dating back to pre-dinosaur days and have not changed much. One major difference is that they no longer have teeth. Land turtles are closely related to crocodiles! Do episodes of The Flintstones come to mind?
While many of us know about sea turtles, most of us don’t know much about land turtles. Land turtles, live on land, have high, rounded shells, feet for movement and are able to retract their heads and limbs inside their shells to ward off predators.
Eastern Box Turtles are the most common land turtles found in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens. They range in size from 15 to 18 cm. Also known as Box Turtles, they are omnivores and their diet consists of berries, slugs, earthworms, snails, beetles, crickets, mealworms, pill bugs, pinky mice, plants and mushrooms; lots of live foods!
They can thrive in a variety of different climates, including tropical forests and grassy fields, forested areas and blistering hot desert sand, and can live well over 100 years. Although box turtles are not aquatic, they can be found near shallow streams or ponds and have occasionally been seen swimming!
Our goal should be to help protect and sustain turtle populations. Chemicals affect animals, and turtles are no different. Very often turtles with ear infections are brought to Sweetbriar, something directly caused by chemicals/pesticides. They are known to put their heads in water and rub their heads in wet grass thus causing problems with their ears. Turtle numbers are declining on Long Island mainly due to loss of habitat. Long Islanders pride themselves with having perfectly manicured, leafless lawns which, although beautiful to look at, present a problem for turtles due to their need for leaves in which to hibernate.
When you see a turtle on the road, you can help it across if it is safe to do so but be sure to face it in the direction in which it was going. If you come across an injured turtle or a turtle in distress, call us or your local wildlife rehabilitator.
Please do not relocate turtles from their home territory. In New York State it is illegal to possess most of the native turtles without a ‘License to Possess’. It is not okay to take a Box Turtle out of the wild and keep it as a pet even if you let it roam in your backyard. If removed from its home base, eastern box turtles will spend their whole life trying to find their way back home, using their “homing instinct”.
Did You Know?
At Sweetbriar, unreleasable turtles live comfortably in their ‘secret turtle suite,’ (Turtle Town), located upstairs, in Sweetbriar’s Temperate Forest Room. Go on an adventure at Sweetbriar and explore the tunnel, located outside of the Rain Forest Room, their natural habitat below the forest floor. They enjoy a warm, humid environment in this specially designed environment, made just for them.
Register on our website and join us at Sweetbriar on our Turtle Walk on Sunday, June 2 at 8:30am. We routinely document the health of the tagged turtles on our property and proactively bring them indoors for a couple of days to ensure their safety while the fields are being maintained. You may even spot one or two on the turtle walk!
Anne Marie Tognella, Sweetbriar Volunteer