Northern Map Turtle
I was lucky to get a bit closer to this turtle as it is extremely skittish but it took me a long while.
I still kept a good distance and even though I was unable to capture what I wanted, I am still happy with this image.
I have never took the time in the past to read about the Map Turtle. So here is what I found in the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks website:
Status: Special Concern
“Special Concern” means the species lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.
Quick Facts:
1) The female Northern Map Turtle has powerful jaws for crushing the shells of molluscs, its primary food source.
2) The Northern Map Turtle is extremely wary and will dive into the water at the slightest provocation.
3) Northern Map Turtles are known for their communal basking, and may be found piled up together in several layers of up to 30 turtles.
4) Map turtles will often bask at the surface of the water under floating vegetation mats with nothing but their head or nose visible from the surface. This behaviour puts map turtles at significant risk of mortality from motorboats.
Northern Map Turtle
I was lucky to get a bit closer to this turtle as it is extremely skittish but it took me a long while.
I still kept a good distance and even though I was unable to capture what I wanted, I am still happy with this image.
I have never took the time in the past to read about the Map Turtle. So here is what I found in the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks website:
Status: Special Concern
“Special Concern” means the species lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.
Quick Facts:
1) The female Northern Map Turtle has powerful jaws for crushing the shells of molluscs, its primary food source.
2) The Northern Map Turtle is extremely wary and will dive into the water at the slightest provocation.
3) Northern Map Turtles are known for their communal basking, and may be found piled up together in several layers of up to 30 turtles.
4) Map turtles will often bask at the surface of the water under floating vegetation mats with nothing but their head or nose visible from the surface. This behaviour puts map turtles at significant risk of mortality from motorboats.