So, we all like dare I say love turtles, they're amazing, charismatic little to large creatures that steal your heart one by one. But did you know they shared an evolutionary kinship with ... BIRDS. This week, for several days, the Cook County Aquatic Turtle Team (known as the turtle rangers, formerly the turtle squad) [...]

This is a spiny softshell turtle (A. spinifera) found in many waterways of Cook County, preferring slow-moving waters, but it is often seen in lakes with sandy banks and bottoms. It is called a softshell because of its distinct leathery, flexible carapace in place of the normally keratinized shell of other aquatic turtles, and the [...]

  I'm a Map, I'm a Map, I'm a Map!!!   Map Turtles are a species unique to cook county aquatic turtle teams and we're excited that we've been sampling a ton this week! Map turtles are distinguishable by their yellow or cream-colored markings on their skin and spot behind their eyes. Their carapace also [...]