Hello and welcome to Lake County Blanding’s Summer 2021!
Blanding’s turtle
Blanding’s are semi-aquatic turtles who are known for their distinct yellow throat that makes them look like they are always smiling! Unfortunately, Blanding’s are endangered in many places, including Illinois. Each summer veterinary students from the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab capture, examine, and collect biological samples from different populations of Blanding’s turtles to assess their health.
Hi! I’m Kayla, a rising third year veterinary student. I spent last summer in Lake County chasing Blanding’s and I’m extremely excited to return! This year my project is focusing on physiological stress responses in the Blanding’s turtle.
Hi! I’m Carley and I am a rising second year veterinary student from Pennsylvania. During my undergrad research at Penn State, I worked with various small mammals, white tailed deer, and black bears. This summer will be my first time working with the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab on Blanding’s in Lake County and I’m very excited. My summer project will be focusing on Cryptosporidium presence in Blanding’s turtles.
We are very excited to spend our summer with the Blanding’s turtles and we can’t wait to take you along! Check back every week for a new blog post and some very special vlogs so you can virtually join us in the field.
