This week in Kane County was an example of how turtle work is not always full of happiness, excitement, and well, turtles. One of our sites this week only produced one Blanding’s turtle. This turtle is an adult female that we were able to track via radiotelemetry, and she is [...]
If there is one thing we have learned about field season, it is that every trip has its own story. Some trips are defined by unexpected wildlife sightings. Some are remembered for the places we visit. Some stand out because of the people who join us. And some become memorable because everything [...]
It’s nesting season! This means the adult female turtles are out and about searching for the ideal area to lay their eggs. The Blanding’s turtle prefers to nest in open areas with well-draining soil and will travel great distances to find the perfect spot. This often involves putting themselves in danger by crossing highways and [...]
Both Jenna and Sathvik had a good week in the field, joined by some friends from the Terrestrial Turtle Team! Here are their updates: Sathvik: To start off the week, Gail (part of the NEIU turtle team and helping with the Blanding's project as well!) and I were left to track down some of our [...]
Over the course of six days, Grace and Becca logged 150 hours straight together as we bounced from northern Illinois to the Chicago area, then all the way down to eastern Tennessee and back again. Along the way, we met incredible people, sampled dozens of turtles, learned new skills, shared lots of laughs, and [...]
https://youtu.be/0q84KXI4Z_c?si=q337WtWqwKpZbyL7
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 [...]
Since Jenna is away on vacation this week, you get a purely Sathvik post (for better or worse!). This week, we swapped field sites to one of the release sites for Lake County's Blanding's turtle headstart programs. Luckily, we caught two turtles that were part of the headstart program! To understand the importance of 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 [...]
Week Overview: We survived our first week of the summer field season! The week was full of ups (catching turtles) and downs (falling in the marsh). We finished the week with a total of 14 Blanding’s turtles, 7 Painted turtles, and 5 Common Snapping Turtles. The turtles were captured using multiple methods: trap setting [...]
