Where to find turtles in ohio

Most of these are aquatic or semi-aquatic and spend most of their time in an aquatic environment. The only exception is the eastern box turtle which spends most of its time on land. The subspecies of Chrysemys picta are determined based on their geographical range. Midland Turtles are a small to medium size turtle with carapace lengths of 4 to 10 inches. Males are generally smaller and generall only reach lengths of about 5 inches. Females on the other hand range from inches.

Additionally, their carapace is olive green to black with red spots on the marginal scutes. Since this subspecies is commonly bred, they can be found from several reputable captive breeders.

The red-eared slider is a hardy and gentle turtle, though they can still bite you. They are a popular beginner turtle mostly because of their sheer availability. They are also relatively easy to care for so long as their setup is correct. The red-eared slider is so-called because of the red streaks on both ears. The Spotted turtle is a small turtle with yellow spots on its black carapace. As you may have already guessed, these yellow spots give it its common name.

The have a flattened shell and yellowish-orange limbs, neck, and head. This hardy and friendly turtle is low maintenance and requires very little space which also makes them them an excellent first pet turtle. Wood Turtles are an endangered turtle species closely related to C. In fact, both turtles used to belong to the same genus — Clemmys. The North American wood turtle is usually found in forests and grasslands. These endangered turtles are quite rare and expensive to acquire.

The Eastern box turtle is probably the most popular box turtle in North America. No wonder, it is also called the common box turtle. This species is endemic to the eastern US. As you may have guessed, the geographical range of this turtle gives it its common name — eastern box turtle. As a box turtle, T.

The endangered Blandings turtle is endemic to eastern and central United States and Canada, and this includes Ohio. This is a medium-sized turtle with a black carapace that has several yellow streaks and a bright yellow chin and throat. Adults have high domes and their carapaces lack keels and sculpturing. Similar to other turtles on this list these include wood turtle and spotted turtle , E. Captive breeding is rare and recent.

As such, the prices of captive-bred individuals are quite high. Also, little is known about their lifespan in captivity. Prior to the turtle was sighted in additional counties. For more information, check out this Wikipedia page on Painted Turtles. Although this Wikipedia articles discusses several varieties of painted turtle, only the Midland Painted Turtle lives in Ohio.

The carapace upper shell of the Red-eared Slider reaches 5 to 8 inches in length. The carapace of a Midland Painted Turtle is an almost uniform, dark color with red spots around the edge when seen from above. But the carapace of the Red-eared slider is lighter, and more variable in color with lighter brownish green areas and no red spots around its edge.

This is not true of the Red-eared Slider. It is believed that the ones found in Ohio are the offspring of pets that were released into the wild. Doing this is a really bad idea. In California where the Red-eared Slider was released, it is in the process of out-competing the native western pond turtle. For more information, check out the Wikipedia page on Red-eared Slider Turtle.

Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata The carapace upper shell of these turtles is usually between 3 and 4. The background color of the shell varies from black to a bluish-black. The shell is sprinkled with yellow dots. It prefers to live in shallow wetlands and small streams, but may also be found in wet prairies and woods. Their historic range included additional counties. For more information, check out its Wikipedia page. The carapace upper shell ranges from 6.

The head is black it may or may not have spots on it. The throat may have a yellow, orange or red tint. They may be found in diverse habitats, but they prefer moving water with sand or gravel bottoms.

The carapace upper shell has a very high dome and reaches between 4. The color of the upper shell varies; the background color it typically brown to black with yellow markings.

The plastron lower shell has hinges in the front and back which allows the turtle to completely withdraw into its shell and shut the doors behind it. If it manages to avoid this fate, it is a very slow-maturing, but long-lived turtle.

In the wild it can reach years of age. During the summer it keeps cool during the day by hiding in the shade or burrowing into leaf litter. The carapace has a dark background color with yellow specks. One of its most notable features is its yellow chin and throat. Occasionally it is seen walking overland from one wetland to another. The carapace upper shell of the female gets to be about 10 inches long, while the male only makes it to about 5 inches.

One very notable feature of the carapace is that there is a ridge running along the back from neck to tail. These lines are pronounced when the turtle is young, but they tend to fade away as the turtle grows older. The heads and limbs have yellow stripes. These turtles like deep water, so they are typically found in lakes and large rivers.

They are very wary about people and will quickly slip away into deeper water if a person draws close. They are the least likely turtle to be hibernating in the winter and have been spotted walking around under the ice. Their historic range included additional counties, such as Delaware where I photographed the turtle with algae on its back seen above. Ouachita Map Turtle Graptemys ouachitensis ; note the spines on the ridge of the back.

Also note the yellow dot under each eye and on each side of the jaw. The carapace upper shell of the female can reach a length of Also like the Common Map Turtle there is a yellow blob behind each eye. Unlike the Common Map Turtle, the Ouachita Map Turtle also has a yellow blob under each eye and on each side of its jaw.

The two species of map turtle are also similar in that both species have a ridge on their carapaces that runs from neck to tail. However this ridge is somewhat different in the Ouachita Map turtle because its ridge has spines. The carapace upper shell typically ranges in size between 10 and 19 inches, and these turtles usually weigh between 10 and 35 pounds. They are very aggressive if approached when they are outside of the water, and they have very powerful jaws. Unlike many turtles, about the only time they bask is at the very beginning of spring.

Its historic range includes additional counties. Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus The carapace upper shell of this turtle ranges in length between 2 and 5. They will bite if they feel a need to protect themselves. Note that their historic range includes additional counties, so you may see one outside of the counties that I just listed.

These turtles are rarely seen outside of the water unless they are laying eggs. Surprisingly the female may not bother burying her eggs. All that matters to her is that the egg-laying site to be near the water. This is another turtle species where the females grow to be much larger than the males.

The carapace upper shell of the female can attain a length of 7 to 17 inches making it one of the largest freshwater turtles in North America. Unlike the Midland Smooth Softshell Turtles, the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle has circular spots all over their backs, often with a noticeable ring around the spot. However this turtle is just as aggressive as a snapping turtle.

It is an excellent swimmer; its preferred habitat is the shallow portions of rivers where it will bury its body in sand or mud with just its head sticking out.

It can pump water in and out of its highly vascular pharynx and extract oxygen directly from the water. Prior to it was seen in additional counties not listed here. For more information, check out the Wikipedia page on Spiny Softshell Turtles. Although this page discusses several varieties of spiny softshell turtles, only the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle lives in Ohio.

In this species the female is also larger than the male. What markings it does have on its shell are small, blotchy-looking little things. It likes to live near or on sandbars in large rivers. Prior to it was sighted in a few other counties not listed here. Once you land on this page, it might not be obvious where to look, but it turns out that you want to click on the tab called Wild Animal Propagation.

Here is the relevant information found there as of June 2, According to the ODNR, you may keep up to four individual pets from their list of approved reptiles and amphibians. The website goes on to list four species of wild turtles that are okay to keep as pets. Your pet turtle must belong to one of the following species:. In general the biggest health concern that people should keep in mind while handling reptiles is being exposed to salmonella a type of bacteria.

It is important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling a reptile. Here are some web resources that discuss what is involved in caring for a midland painted turtle:.

I will note in passing that another visitor, Shelby, left a comment about keeping a midland painted turtle see her comment here. It sounds like she kept one over the winter, and it was more difficult than she had anticipated. To help him get a more accurate understanding of the distribution of these species, Davis needs to see a photo of the animal so he can verify its species.

If you are interested in helping him update the official record as to where these animals live in Ohio, you can email a photo of the specimen along with the location of your sighting be as specific as possible with the location.

His address is ohiofrogs gmail. Despite the email address, you can use it to report a sighting of any amphibian or reptile. View All Posts. I recentley found a turtle while practicing on Blacklick woods metro parks golf course.

I thought it was a piece of bark when i set my bag down but on closer inspection i knew it was a baby snapping turtle. I was positive it was dead since it was not moving. I picked it up and realized its tail moved slightly and figured either someone stepped on it since it was on the golf green or it was cold.

I brought it home and have it in a 10 gallon tank with a reptile filter and 3 inches of water with pebbles along the bottom and a couole bigger rocks for it to get out of the water. Last night it ate two earthworms when i fed it. I feel like i need to take the little guy to the nature center at the park so they can display it or release it. I understand what you mean about wanting the little guy to have a fighting chance. I have photos of a spiny soft shell turtle in Apple Creek on the south side of Wooster Ohio ;I also caught one as a child in Schellen Park which is near where I photographed the one recently.

I think it was nesting near the island by Akron Brass and the railroad over crossing. We just helped a midland painted turtle across the road today! I picked him up and placed back on the grass away from the road. This was in Clark County, near Springfield. I had never seen a turtle like this and this site helped me ID it. The red on his legs is what I noticed first, when I picked him up. I thought his shell was black, but found out it was just a dark green. Thanks Deb for the article.

The secretive reptile lays an average of 25 - 50 eggs maximum of The ill-tempered snapping turtle gets its name from its powerful jaws. They are very aggressive and should be considered dangerous. These powerful jaws are used in capturing its diet invertebrates, carrion, water plants, fish, birds and small mammals. From the prehistoric cultures to modern residents, Ohioans have hunted the snapping turtle for food and used its shell as a container and for decoration.

Today people, with a valid Ohio fishing license, still hunt snappers.