Species
Bog turtle
Glyptemys muhlenbergii
North America's smallest turtle, living in a handful of mountain bogs in northeast Georgia.
Photo US Army Corps of Engineers (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Shell usually 8 to 11 cm long
- Habitat
- Open, spring-fed mountain bogs and wet meadows with soft mud
- Diet
- Insects, worms, snails, seeds and berries
- In Georgia
- A few mountain bogs in northeast Georgia; very rare
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Small, dark shell; bright orange or yellow blotch on each side of the head
- Told apart from
- Spotted turtle, which has yellow spots on its shell
- Where to look
- Almost never seen; its bogs are sensitive and best left undisturbed
Behaviour
Bog turtles live in shallow tunnels of soft mud and moss in open bogs fed by springs. They bask in the sun at the surface and burrow deep in the mud in winter.
Why they matter
Mountain bogs are among the rarest habitats in the Southeast, and bog turtles are one of their signature animals. They are protected under federal law, and their survival depends on keeping bogs open and wet.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — Laid in tussocks of sedge or moss
Eggs — Usually 1 to 6
Incubation — About 45 to 65 days
Hatchlings — About 2.5 cm long
Maturity — At 5 to 10 years
Lifespan — Several decades
Living around people
- Stay out of mountain bogs; trampling damages them, and the turtles are easily overlooked.
- Bog turtles are protected under federal law.
Misconceptions
- A tiny turtle must be a baby. Adult bog turtles are only the size of a hand's palm.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Buried in mud | Buried | Emerging | Basking and courtship | Active | Nesting | Active | Hatching | Hatchlings emerge | Burrowing in | Buried | Buried |
Where it lives
Recorded in 12 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal