Across North America, freshwater turtles are of increasing conservation concern. Ten native species of non-marine turtle occur in Massachusetts, representing three families, all of which apparently occurred on the North American continent prior to the Cretaceous extinction 65.5 million years ago.

    Turtles appear to be declining in Massachusetts in part due to habitat fragmentation and resulting roadkill. Turtles are particularly sensitive to roadkill because they mature very late (in some species, around age 15-18) and have low reproductive potential. In the absence of roadkill and other anthropogenic sources of mortality, some species may achieve lifespans exceeding 100 years.

The ten species of turtle native to Massachusetts range from the 4” bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii), which is extremely rare and confined to rich fens in the Appalachian Mountains, to the far more massive common snapping turtle, which ranges from southern Canada to Ecuador. The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), a brackish-water species, occurs entirely within the United States from Outer Cape Cod to Padre Island. The most common species in the state, the eastern painted turtle, occurs throughout the United States and northern Mexico and is the only species in the U.S. to occur naturally on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The wood, bog, spotted, Blanding’s and Eastern box turtles are closely related and together comprise one-half of the subfamily Emydinae, which is distributed broadly in North America and Europe.

>>> read more about identifying turtles here

If you have seen a turtle in Massachusetts, consider reporting it to the Turtle Atlas, a joint effort of the Turtle Conservation Project and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. In the future, document your turtle sightings by noting the date and location, and taking a photograph.

A single observation of a turtle on the road does not necessarily indicate the location of a road-crossing hotspot. If you see a turtle on the road, consider the local landscape characteristics and ask whether the site is likely to be a crossing hotspot (for example, are large wetlands or nesting areas immediately adjacent to the road?). If you have a potential turtle crossing hotspot in mind, contact us and consider monitoring your site in 2010.

>>> report a sighting of a turtle here