Fact Sheet: Bog Turtle
Glyptemys muhlenbergii
Description:
 Size:
o Length: Carapace (upper part of shell) length: 3.1-4.5 in (7.9-11.4 cm)
 Weight: Up to 5 oz (142 g)
 Sexual dimorphisms:
o Males are larger than females
o Males have concave plastrons (lower part of shell)
 Physical description: Very small turtle with webbed feet and flattened shell
 Coloration: Mostly dark brown or black with some yellow or red spotting and streaking
on the legs. Typically display a bright reddish-orange to yellow streak behind each eye
which may form a band around the neck.
In the Wild
Habitat and Range:
 Geographic range: Isolated colonies along the eastern seaboard of the United States
from New York to Georgia
 Preferred habitat: Saturated, usually spring-fed wetlands such as bogs, fens, wet
meadows, sedge marches and older spruce swamps. Prefer relatively open wetlands
with slowly flowing streams, rivulets or surface seepages, usually dominated by clumps
of grasses and sedges, and have soft muddy bottoms.
Diet

Omnivorous: Eat seeds, berries, vegetation, insects, slugs, worms, crayfish, frogs,
snakes, snails and carrion
Adaptations
 Beak: Surprisingly powerful for the turtle’s size, a bog turtle’s bony beak enables it to
catch and crush prey.
 Coloration: Highly cryptic coloration enables this turtle to camouflage, including the
orange band which helps to break up the turtle’s shape.
 Shell: Like all turtles, the shell provides protection. Additionally, the flattened shape of
the shell makes this turtle more hydrodynamic, which means that its shape slides
through water easily.
 Webbed feet: The webbed feet act like a pair of flippers to help the turtle swim more
quickly.
 Claws: The claws on this turtle’s feet aid in digging burrows, an important part of their
brumating behavior. Brumation is similar to hibernation, but is typically applied to
reptiles, while hibernation applies to mammals. After burrowing in mud or beneath
vegetation, they will typically brumate for the entire winter.
Lifespan
 Wild: unknown, likely up to 40 years
8/28/2015
Bog Turtle
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

Captivity: unknown, likely more than 40 years
Ecosystem relationships
 Predators: Raccoons, foxes, skunks and dogs
 Interspecies competitors: Likely other small animals, such as mice, toads, and snakes,
who consume much of the same food as the turtle.
 Role/niche: A low-level predator in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that also
functions as a food source for several mid- and high-level predators
Reproduction
 Breeding season: Primarily mate in the spring, but can sometimes have a 2nd breeding
season during the fall
 Behavior: Females typically build nests in sunny areas and lay eggs in late spring and
early summer, mainly during the month of June
 Clutch size: Typically lay a single clutch of 1-6 eggs yearly
 Gestation: Eggs incubate for 1.5-2 months
 Maturation: The baby turtles hatch in early fall and may spend their first winter in the
nest before emerging the following spring
o No parental care – once hatched, baby turtles are on their own
Activity
 Diurnal: Hunt and forage during the day but are not readily visible because they often
hide under vegetation
 Active during the warmer months of the year, but typically bury themselves in mud to
brumate for about half the year during the colder months.
Other “fun facts”
 About one-third of all bog turtles live in Maryland, but few people ever see them in the
wild because they inhabit inaccessible wetlands, are well camouflaged, and spend
nearly half the year buried in mud
Conservation Status and Threats:
 Listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered
o Populations were impacted in the past by collection for the pet trade
o Habitat fragmentation and degradation is the largest current threat – suitable
habitat is thought to have decreased by about 80% in the last century
o Many individuals are killed by cars while attempting to cross a road
 The population is thought to have decreased by as much as 90% over the last century
 Only about half as many bog turtles live in Maryland now as in 1980
At the Zoo
Wade hatched at the Maryland Zoo in 2003 and was donated to the animal embassy the same
year. He weighs approximately 3 ounces (100 grams) and eats fish, insects and worms.
What We Can Do

Do your research before buying a pet
8/28/2015
Bog Turtle
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore



o Make sure you are not purchasing a wild-caught individual – captive-bred turtle
species are often easy to find
o Make sure you know how to properly care for any animal before you decide to
buy it as a pet
 Some things to consider include adequate housing, diet, temperature
requirements and lifespan
 Some pets also require a lot of time and money to be properly cared for
Support the conservation efforts of organizations such as the Maryland Zoo and The
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – many organizations are working
with private landowners to help restore and protect bog turtle habitat
Tread carefully when visiting wetlands – stick to dedicated paths to avoid disturbing
habitat
Make environmentally responsible lifestyle decisions to help conserve habitat –
conserve energy, reduce litter and pollution
References:
 http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/4967/0
 http://www.marylandzoo.org/animals-conservation/reptiles/bog-turtle/
 http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=C048
 www.natureserve.org
 http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Glyptemys_muhlenbergii/
 http://www.arkive.org/bog-turtle/glyptemys-muhlenbergii/
8/28/2015
Bog Turtle
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore