Northern Map Turtle

 

Northern Map Turtle   (Graptemys geographica)– Status: Special Concern

In some of the tributaries of the fresher water of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Huron are where I have seen the Northern Map Turtle. They can be occasionally seen in small groups of 2 or 3 basking on logs and emerging rocks. This handsome turtle can be easily identified by its long thin green necks with distinctive yellow lines. Their legs, tails and skirt are also dark green with yellow lines. This species can grow quite large, especially the adult females. Not quite as large as our big Snappers, but they do outsize our other regional species. 

Northern Map Turtles also hatch late, around September and are in a hurry to feed and store reserves for winter hibernation.