Ecology: "Shellgae" Turtles help support a variety of species from micro invertebrates and bacteria to a host of plants! Plants in particular, like some grasses, have been found growing on the backs of some turtles as their seeds get stuck in the turtle’s shell algae and grow with the surplus of water along with sunlight from basking. The most notable plant species however is the green algae 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘮, often referred to affectionately as “shellgae”. This algae is unusual in that it has only ever been found growing on turtles where it is believed to offer some form of camouflage in a somewhat mutualistic relationship. Algae growing on the shell however, creates drag and reduces the swimming speed of the turtle which can be problematic when escaping predators. The shedding of scutes helps control the growth of shellgae while a variety of animals also feed on it. This includes fish, painted turtle and even musk turtle. Shellgae illustrates how by losing one species we also lose so many others as large animals support a wide diversity of life.
Vocalization: Unbeknownst to the surface world, conversations are beginning below the earth. Within their eggs, tiny snapping turtles begin to making tiny clicking noises to one another, possibly to coordinate hatching. Within three days, they break free of their egg, breaking the shell with a small tooth on the end of their nose. Once out, their conversations become more sophisticated, their clicks become more rapid, and soon, squeaks join their vocabulary. The harmonics of these sounds are similar to crocodiles and birds, characterized by well defined bands. While the exact purpose of this is still unknown, it may be to synchronize their emergence from the nest. The surface is filled with predators from raccoons to birds and even some frogs, by emerging together, they increase the odds that at least some will survive.
Traditional Knowledge: Snapping turtles, or 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘬 in Ojibwe, play an important role in many creation stories. In one story, there were two worlds, the sky world up in the clouds and the water world far below. One women, baring child, fell from the sky world to the water world. The birds saw her fall and were quick to aid her down unharmed. The giant snapping turtle gave the women shelter on his back but the women needed more to live, she needed soil and plants. To help her, the otter and beaver, who would boast about how well they could swim, would dive down to retrieve soil from the water’s bottom. When both failed, only the humble muskrat was brave enough to retrieve the soil. The sky women took the soil and through dance, spread it over to back of the giant turtle. Here, plants would grow and she would raise her child and eventually her grandsons. Her grandsons would create the rivers, the plants and the animals that make turtle island, or North America, their home. Today, the dances once used by the sky women are done in ceremony to give thanks to the earth and to the great turtle who supports life (Longboat, 2015).
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Legislation: In Ontario, snapping turtles were once able to be hunted legally under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. According to this act, an individual with a fishing licence could harvest up to two snapping turtles per day with the intention of using them for food. In 2017, the province decided to create more restrictions on how many snapping turtles could be hunted, this causes a large amount of public outcry from those wanting to protect the turtles. Because of this outcry, the hunting of snapping turtles was banned completely in Ontario. Here, snapping turtles are already listed as a Species of Special Concern as their numbers are in decline due to human activity. Having a slow growth and only being able to reproduce after the age of 15, along with a high amount of road mortality, persecution, poaching, invasive species, pollution, habitat loss and nest predation by unnaturally high amounts of raccoons, foxes and rodents, have all contributed to their decline.
Ecology: Bacillus The headlights of a car were the last thing a traveling turtle had seen. As she lies on the road, her body becomes overcome with fungi and bacteria, organisms that were both on her originally and from her surroundings. Of these are 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴, which grows into volcano-like structures, along with non-pathogenic B𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 which are described as flat, circular growths that are bright orange and iridescent in certain light. These bacteria likely caught a ride as dormant endospores until food became available and they came to life, breaking down the body. Microbes such as these help clean the ecosystem and convert nutrients for plants and animals alike.
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Sources:
Hull, Zeb C., and Shem D. Unger. "Short Term Microbial Colonization of Reptile Roadkill." Journal of North American Herpetology, 15 Apr. 2020, journals.ku.edu/jnah/article/view/13614. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. Krawchuck, M A., et al. "Observations of a Possible Cleaning Symbiosis between Painted Turtles, Chrysemys picta, and Snapping Turtles, Chelydra serpentina, in Central Ontario." Research Gate, Ottawa Field Naturalists Club, Jan. 1997, www.researchgate.net/publication/290975261_Observations_of_a_possible_cleaning_symbiosis_between_Painted_Turtles_Chrysemys_picta_and_Snapping_Turtles_Chelydra_serpentina_in_central_Ontario. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. Lacroix, Claudia. Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2021. Lipsey Jr., Louis L. "Basicladia chelonum (Collins) Hoffmann & Tilden and Basicladia crassa Hoffmann & Tilden (Cladophorales) in Southern Illinois." jstor, Rhodora, July 1978, www.jstor.org/stable/23311160. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. Longboat, Dan. "INDG-ERST 2601Y ." Trent University, 2015, Peterborough, Canada. Lecture. "Snapping Turtle Hunt Banned in Ontario." Siskinds Law Firm, 10 Apr. 2017, www.siskinds.com/snapping-turtle-hunt-banned-ontario/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. "Snapping Turtle." Ontario Nature, 2021, ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/snapping-turtle/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. Wilhoft, Daniel C., et al. "Effects of Temperature on Sex Determination in Embryos of the Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina." jstor, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Mar. 1983, www.jstor.org/stable/1563778. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. |