Nesting and Road Mortality: In pursuit of a nesting site, Blanding’s turtles will travel great distances, over 6km (3.7 miles) which often brings them across roads where they become susceptible to being hit by vehicles. If one finds a turtle crossing, the best one can do is either escort it across or carefully move them to the other side, in the direction they were originally heading. One of the safest ways to carry a Blanding’s turtle or painted turtle across, is to hold the turtle is like a hamburger, with one hand on either side of the shell so they’re safe from dropping. In Ontario, the provincial Species at Risk act helps protect these turtles by making it illegal to handle Threatened or Endangered species. If the handling is done for the betterment of the animal however, such as moving it across the road or bringing an injured animal to a licensed wildlife rehab, than the law would not be enacted, helping protect the animals and those helping them.
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Traditional Ecological Knowledge: In Ojibway, the name of this turtle translates to “The Turtle With the Sun Under It’s Chin” in reference to the story of how it got its charismatic yellow throat. In the story, the trickster Nanabush stole the sun because of how beautiful he thought it was. Without the sun, the world grew cold and dark, all the animals got together to decide what to do about it. Many of the animals feared Nanabush and only the little turtle was brave enough to try and rescue the sun. The little turtle crept into Nanabush’s lodgings and within a box, found the sun. He picked the sun up in his mouth and crept out. As he did, Nanabush began to wake, the little turtle hid inside his shell which could close almost completely, hiding the sun’s light. Nanabush went back to sleep and the little turtle left as fast as he could. Opening his mouth, the sun came out and went back into the sky. As a mark of courage, the little turtle’s throat was stained bright yellow by the sun (Wheatley, 2012).
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Camouflage: Blanding’s turtles can change colour! They do this based on their environment and is most noticeable in captive conditions. When kept in enclosures where the interior is darker, the Blanding’s turtles’ throat is more vibrant, much like their wild counterparts. When kept in light or clear enclosures however, their throat becomes more pale. Excessive lighting can also cause the rest of the turtle to become pale, so much so the yellow outline of the throat is no longer clearly defined. The reason for this colour change is not yet fully understood but may be related to countershading camouflage. This is when lighter underparts help hide amongst the brighter sky when viewed from below, while the dark primaries camouflage amongst dark waters when viewed from above. In artificial environments with lighting from above and below, this form of camouflage is no longer effective and the turtle does not require the production of more melanin. Once released into the wild, the pale colouration slowly becomes more vibrant as they adapt to their new home.
Etymology: A Blanding’s turtle by any other name would smile so sweet. But where did this name come from? Blanding’s turtles were named after Dr. William Blanding, the naturalist who “discovered” the first specimen of this species for western science. Living in South Carolina in the 1820s, Blanding benefited from slavery through his practice as a medical practitioner and through his trade in cotton. Later in life, Blanding owned up to three people at a time, of which, was a young boy rented from a Mrs. Tate. This boy, named Cyrus, would aid Blanding in his apothecary as well as in the field where they would collect countless specimens. Many of these specimens were collected through unfortunate means, such as a number of American toads, found while opening the graves of Indigenous Peoples. Naturalists like William Blanding, James Audubon, amongst others, represent dark times in history and science and honouring them through animal names can be exclusionary, creating boundaries for those still affected by these histories.
Sources:
"Blanding's Turtle Head-Stating and Reintroduction." Toronto Zoo, www.torontozoo.com/tz/rptm?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=G5XqctfyfuqkGxs4rXron7g.v_1M96rpDZs1fIaT1OM-1637207112-0-gaNycGzNCNE. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. "Blanding's Turtle." Ontario Nature, 2021, ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/blandings-turtle/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021. Fabian, Ann. "The Long Life of William Blanding: Doctor, Apothecary, Naturalist." Muse, Journal of the Early Republic, 2016, muse.jhu.edu/article/610622/pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023. Marks, Steve. Personal interview. 2021. Reptiles and Amphibians of Toronto. City of Toronto, 2012, pp. 2-25. Rowe, John W., et al. "Spectral Reflectance of Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and Substrate Colour-Induced Melanization in Laboratory-Reared Turtles." Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 31 Aug. 2017, www.herpconbio.org/Volume_12/Issue_2/Rowe_etal_2017.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023. |