thegreatromance

“Because they are still living, turtles are commonplace objects to us; were they entirely extinct, their shells – the most remarkable defensive armor ever assumed by a tetrapod – would be cause for wonder.” – Alfred Sherwood Romer

Hey all!  Just to let everyone know, I will be doing some specially themed blogs this week on turtle conservation issues in Ontario.  Anyone who knows me will also know that turtles have always been near and dear to my heart (pretty much since I was a wee child).  Here is a collage of the random assortment of turtle paraphernalia that I have here, with me, in Kingston.  I tell ya, if you have any strange turtle phobias, you should steer clear of my room back home in Toronto:

I’m not kidding with this!  I love them!  Hopefully, by the end of this week, you will love them too.  I really encourage you to give feedback by posting comments or participating in polls.  Although, I would also understand if you are feeling a bit shy.  What I really want to accomplish by the end of these five days is increased awareness.  I truly hope that if my insights have given you any insight of your own, you will spread it onto your friends and tell them about turtles of Ontario!  So, to begin: how many of you can actually name a turtle species that resides in Ontario?  I’m not looking for any fancy Latin names, just a common name will do.

If you can’t, don’t worry, you are not alone.  By the end of this week, you will be able to name atleast five!

You have probably heard by now that our world’s natural resources are being depleted.  Even though the human population is increasing everyday, our resources are decreasing – this is a simple formula, and I’m sure you can see where it is headed.  As a result of this violent supply and demand relationship, a lot of biodiversity has been lost from nature.  Biodiversity can be defined as any variation of life within a particular ecosystem, or even within our whole planet on the grand scale.  When humans extract resources, we not only take, but we can also destroy.  Habitats become totally lost to deforestation, pollution, and via other such routes.  Today, many efforts are aimed at finding a sustainable way to manage resources, and to preserve biodiversity.  I am hoping to discuss some of these conservation issues and efforts on a provincial scale this week using turtles as my focal point.

Let’s begin with a brief introduction, shall we?  Turtles are reptiles that are part of the order Testudine, and have been around for even longer than lizards and snakes.  They have been around for hundreds of millions of years (~200 million, to be precise).  Seriously, they are old!  However, unfortunately, they are now being faced with an increasing number of problems to which Ontario’s turtles are not exempt.  Here is a brief rundown on some random facts of my lovely four legged friends (1):

• They are ectotherms, meaning that they are cold-blooded
• A “turtle shell” is more officially known as a carapace
• They live in both freshwater and marine environments
• The largest extant turtle is the great leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which can reach a carapace length of 6.7 feet and weight of 900 kg!
• The smallest turtles are musk turtles (Sternotherus), which rarely exceed a carapace length of 13 cm
• They are amniotes that lay their eggs on land
• They can be divided into two suborders: Cryptodira and Pleurodira – this taxonomy (a.k.a. how they are classified) is based on how their neck folds into their shells
• Turtles vs. tortoises?  This one has always had me, but basically, tortoises are Testudines that live on land

Now, with some of the logistics out of the way, I would like to introduce my proposed plan for this week.  My posts for each day will have two main parts,
Part 1: will introduce a turtle species in Ontario, including some lovely pictures, you will also occasionally be treated with videos!  I hope to provide a brief overview of each turtle’s natural history, so you can be aware of what it is that turtles love to do .
Part 2: will introduce a conservation issue relevant to Ontario’s turtles, and also what you can do to help with regards to each issue!  Knowledge is power.

As you read my posts this week, it will be important to keep in mind that although I have chosen only to focus on Ontario’s species, the problems that I will be discussing have universal implications, and do not affect Ontario’s species alone.

As you can see, I have already moved the overview up to today, Sunday, because there is just too much information that I want to share.  Thus, starting tomorrow, we will jump right into the natural history of the spiny softshell and the effects of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.  These are the issues and species that I hope to address, please stay tuned for the love of all things turtle-y!

Edit: wow, I can’t believe this, but this is actually my landmark 100th post.  How appropriate!  I’m very pleased with how this has turned out. I believe this is an indicator of  how important these following posts will be (so read them!)..  *whistles innocently*