A How-to on Proper Use of a Field Guide
Field guides are a gateway to understanding the natural world. Indeed, many herpers I know treasure their very first field guide, which opened their eyes to the diversity around them, keeping its tattered remains up on a shelf next to newer editions as a memento. My first was copy Peterson’s “Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern […]
Fieldnotes- September 2018
Join Ben Stegenga and Jonathon Bolton as they kick off our trap survey efforts for Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in previously unsurveyed sections of South Georgia rivers. A huge thank you to TOS member Tucker Ennis for helping with fieldwork and providing additional video.
Georgia’s Giant Turtles
Alligator snapping turtles are the largest species of freshwater turtle in Georgia, reaching sizes of up to 200 pounds and carapace lengths in excess of 80 cm (over 30 inches). Until recently, all alligator snapping turtles were classified as a single species: Macrochelys temminckii. However, Thomas et al. (2014) split alligator snapping turtles into three […]
Following the thread: Searching for turtle nests
This spring we were posed with a challenging question. How do you go about finding Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) nests when there is very little information available about where or when they are going to lay eggs? Our first step towards answering this question was to capture female turtles and attach radio transmitters to their […]
Tripod Turtles
Last month during a Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) survey I stumbled upon one of the most vibrantly colored turtles I have ever seen. Easily recognized by their brown shells, black heads, and distinctly orange necks and limbs, even the more drably-colored Wood Turtles are quite striking, but this particular animal really stood out to me. […]