Turtles now Arkansas travelers

Turtles are on the move all over Arkansas. They are found alongside roads in rural and suburban areas thanks to a wet, relatively cool spring, which created excellent foraging areas in ditches and grassy areas beside the bustle of daily traffic.

Many turtles are finishing up their annual breeding and egg-laying cycles, which also puts them on the move.

The three-toed box turtle is one of the most common turtles motorists will encounter in Arkansas. Two species of box turtle occur in the state, the three-toed and the ornate. Ornate box turtles are protected. It’s illegal to possess or collect them.

Box turtles get their name from their hinged lower shell. Many turtles can retract into their shells, but box turtles can lift their lower shell to completely seal out any would-be attackers, forming a snug box of protection. Most first encounters people may have with a box turtle they’ve disturbed will be a waiting game until the reptile decides it is safe to open up and take a look around.

This ingenious defense makes adult box turtles impervious to attacks by many small predators, leaving disease and automobiles as the top causes of an individual turtle’s demise. It also endears it to curious children and adults, who often pick them up and bring them home as a wildlife pet.

Kelly Irwin, herpetological program coordinator for Game and Fish, says three-toed box turtles often will stay within the same 10- to 25- acre range for their entire lives and have a strong homing instinct. If they are moved outside of this area, they may spend the rest of their lives wandering, trying to reorient themselves, especially if turtles are already present in the area where they are placed.

“One recent study moved a number of box turtles to a new locatxion and tracked their movements,” Irwin said. “Only 47% of those moved established a home range in the new area. The rest wandered away or died.”

Irwin said the issue is compounded by the turtle’s relatively long time to reach sexual maturity.

“Box turtles can take between five and 10 years to become sexually mature, depending on their sex and the conditions where they live,” Irwin said. “They can have multiple clutches of two to six eggs per year, but the nest and young are susceptible to raccoons, skunks, foxes, snakes and many other small predators.”

Dr. Jenn Ballard, state wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, said moving or concentrating turtles also can introduce or distribute diseases or parasites to new areas, which can have far-reaching impacts on turtle populations.

A number of viruses and bacteria can cause serious problems for amphibians and reptiles, including box turtles. With few options for treating animals in the wild, preventing the spread of these pathogens to new areas is important for protecting these species.