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 has unique, topographic map-like lines. They often inhabit slow-moving bodies of freshwater such as rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds that have aquatic vegetation. They lean towards a carnivorous diet, feeding on snails, mussels, fish, and crustaceans, using a larger than normal keratinized palate to break open shells. The average life span of a map turtle is around 20-30 years. We use size and tail length to distinguish male and female turtles, with females leaning towards being substantially larger and males having a longer tail!
Our rising second year Caitlyn Nguyen’s project is focused on learning more about the overall health of these mollusk creating baselines in overall health and disease prevalence.