The Bog Turtle's Story Is Filled With Irony And Contradictions

The bog turtle's (Clemmys muhlenbergii) story is filled with irony and contradictions. It is Pennsylvania's smallest turtle. Even though it does not require large areas of habitat to survive, its populations have suffered from more problems associated with habitat loss than any other turtle in the Commonwealth. Bog turtles are cute, petite, and very attractive, which makes them an easy animal for people to like and want to protect. However, those same attributes also make this species very desirable in the black market pet trade. It lives in wetlands primarily in the southeastern counties of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, those areas also have the highest human population densities in the Commonwealth.

They are small, semi-aquatic turtles typically reaching a maximum shell length of around four inches at adulthood. Their shells are usually mahogany or black. A bog turtle's most identifiable characteristic is the prominent yellow or orange splotch on each side of the head behind the eye. A lack of yellow or light spots on the carapace (upper shell) helps to distinguish this species from the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), which may also be found inhabiting wetlands where bog turtles live. Bog turtles are long-lived. They reach reproductive age between five and eight years and may live 20 to 30 years, often spending their entire lives in the wetlands where they were born.

Bog turtles prefer to live in spring seeps and open, marshy meadows, which are usually found in flat or gently rolling landscapes of the valleys of southeastern Pennsylvania. Yet, these same areas are also prime locations in which to build homes and housing developments to support the urban and suburban sprawl that centers around the cities of eastern Pennsylvania. Some well-meaning people want to protect this species so much that they actually unknowingly endanger the turtles by removing them from the wild when they are seen crossing roads.

Typically, the turtle is dropped off at a pet store or nature center with little or no information pertaining to where it was picked up. In many cases, these "saved" turtles cannot be released back into the wild because their wetland of origin is unknown. Disease and genetic issues often preclude releasing these individuals in areas other than their native wetland. Bog turtles are listed both as a Pennsylvania endangered species and threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, and therefore they are protected by special regulations. Consequently, some land developers are concerned that their proposed projects may be affected by its presence.

Meanwhile, others see the bog turtle as a barometer for the quality and health of wetlands and watersheds in their communities. This little turtle, which exemplifies so many different things to so many different people, remains one of the most endangered and controversial species in the Commonwealth today.