Leopard Tortoise

Geochelone pardalis

Janis the Leopard Tortoise

Reptiles Alive Name: “Janis” (aka Dash)

Hissstory: Janis was donated to Reptiles Alive by our former Lead Keeper, Janis Gerritts in October of 2002.

RA Diet: Janis dines on grass, weeds, hay and occasionally gets some fruit as a special treat.

Natural Diet: Leopard tortoises graze on grasses and weeds.  Kind of like cows with shells.

Range:  Leopard tortoises are found in Africa from South Africa north to Sudan.

Habitat: Deserts and savannas are the primary habitat of leopard tortoises.   They hide in burrows during the hottest part of the day.

Size: Leopard tortoises are big turtles.  They can grow over 20 inches long and weigh around 50 pounds. The record weight for a leopard tortoise is 96 pounds.

Lifespan: Tortoises can live for up to around 100 years.

Reproduction: Leopard tortoise females lay around 20-25 eggs in a clutch.  The eggs hatch in 120 to 150 days.

Conservation: Leopard tortoises have two main threats:  habitat loss and collection for the pet trade or bush meat markets.

Cool Fact: Leopard tortoises have voices!  When mating, a male tortoise makes a series of grunts that can actually be quite loud.

We had a ssssspectacular Saturday as part of a Virginia Herpetological Survey (VHS) team for Mason Neck State Park and National Wildlife Refuge.  Tony & Caroline along with about 20 other VHS members participated in the day long search for reptiles and amphibians.  Each animal found was documented along with the location and  micro-habitat it was found in.

We started the day around 8:30 am.  We were divided into 5 teams that were given 5 different sections of the area to survey.  Our team was assigned to the areas of the Wildlife Refuge that are closed to the public.

We drove to the end of the main Refuge access road to an area that used to be a farm.  Five foot tall grass, poison ivy, and millions of deer ticks awaited us.  We were not deterred!  Almost immediately an eastern box turtle was found.

Eastern Box Turtle

And then in a very short period of time, we found a brown snake, multiple worm snakes, more box turtles, two spotted salamanders, and giant native millipedes (I know – they don’t really count on a herp survey, but they were so cool!)

Brown Snake

Spotted Salamander

Worm Snake

Millipede

We also found two black racers – snakes that are known for being fast.  One of the racers was in a somewhat odd micro-habitat.  It was about 5 feet off the ground hanging on a small tree growing on the edge of a cliff.

Northern Black Racer Snake

We continued herping (searching for reptiles and amphibians) throughout the morning.  It was hard work hiking through the brush, lifting logs and turning over rocks, but we were dedicated to our mission.

Jon the Dedicated Herper

We drove a few miles down to an area of vernal pools, marshes, and wetlands.  We found more herps, including cricket frogs and green frogs.  One of the green frogs was also in a somewhat strange spot (for a green frog), he was about 3 feet up on the side of a tree stump.

Green Frog in a Normal Green Frog Place

Green Frog in a Not So Normal Place

Cricket Frog

While in the wetlands, we also found some frog predators.  Many painted turtles were spotted basking on logs.  A large snapping turtle was found in a pond under a log – but he foiled our attempts to take his picture.

Many people believe the myth that venomous cottonmouth (water moccasins) live in the Washington DC area.  They do not.  Our area is too far north for them to survive.  We do, however, have harmless northern water snakes which are often confused with both cottonmouths and copperheads.  Like many snakes, northern water snakes will flatten their bodies and heads to appear more “viper like” when they are threatened which can lead to their mis-identification as a venomous species.

Tough Looking But Harmless - The Northern Water Snake

In the same wetland location, we also found beautiful ribbon snakes.  Ribbon snakes are similar in appearance to their close relatives the garter snakes, but the ribbons are much more slender.

Ribbon Snake

Whew – after all this success we started to get a bit hungry.  So we decided to head back to the meeting site,  eat lunch, and find out how the other teams were doing.

Hungry, Hungry Herpers!

After our short lunch break, we headed back out into the field for more searching.  We discovered more worm snakes, more box turtles, lots more green frogs, more spotted salamanders and we had an encounter with a rarely seen in Fairfax County lizard species, the ground skink.

The Elusive Ground Skink

Deep in the woods, far from any roads or trails, we also discovered a sign of the past.

Dial S for Snake

No copperhead snakes were found during the entire survey.  Over 40 dedicated reptile specialists searching a large area of protected forest and no copperheads.  This is actually normal.  Copperheads are not nearly as common as some people believe.  Copperheads are also shy and afraid of humans.  They will only bite if they feel threatened.  So, you know, leave snakes alone.

We did, however, find a venomous species of arachnid hiding under a log:

Black Widow Spider

Around 5 pm, we headed back to meet up with the other teams and share our data collection for the day. The VHS president Kory Steele was there adding up all the numbers from each team. Soon, we would learn which team found the most animals.
Guess which team won? Well, as Kory reminded me, this was not a contest. Our mission was to collect data to assist with the conservation of reptiles and amphibians. (Ok, but our team won – we found 57 individual herps representing 17 species – woo hoo woo hoo!)
All of the animals we found that day were left in the spot we found them. Well, except for two animals – alien invaders were found in a turtle sampling trap.

The mouth of an ALIEN!

The aliens were the Frankenfish – the Northern Snake-head! Apparently, there is now a large breeding population of these introduced exotic fish in the Potomac River and its tributaries in the Mason Neck/Pohick Bay area. This new invader could cause unknown consequences on our native fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and possibly even birds and mammals. Surveys such as the one the VHS teams completed at Mason Neck are crucial for the protection and conservation of our wildlife.
We had a sssssssuper ssssssssuccessful Ssssssssssaturday. It was snaketacular.

Information on the Virginia Herpetological Society: http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/
Information on Mason Neck State Park: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/mas.shtml

To see more pictures of our herp search at Mason Neck, visit our Facebook page.

Hmmm, I wonder if he will become Prince Charming?

Spiny Soft Shell Turtle

Apalone (Trionyx) spinifera

Reptiles Alive Name: “Apalone”

Hissstory: Apalone was transferred to us from the Virginia Living Museum in February 2005.

RA Diet: Apalone likes to eat aquatic turtle pellet food, worms, crickets and super worms.

Natural Diet: Soft shclled turtles prey on fish, worms, insects, tadpoles, and frogs.

Range: Spiny soft-shelled turtles live in much of the eastern United States.  They are found in the far southwestern corner of Virginia and there is a tiny population of them in far western Maryland.

Habitat: Hangouts for soft-shelled turtles include slow moving water with muddy or sandy bottoms.

Size: Spiny soft-shelled turtle females can grow to about 15 inches long.  Male spiny soft-shells are much smaller and grow to around 8 inches.

Lifespan: Soft-shelled turtles can live over 25 years.

Reproduction: Soft-shelled turtles lay from 4 to 33 spherical eggs on land in the spring. The eggs hatch around August and September.  Sometimes, the  eggs & babies remain in the nest and  hatch in the spring.

Conservation: Soft-shelled turtles are being over- harvested for the Asian food market.  They are now a threatened and protected species in parts of their range, including Maryland.

Cool Facts: Soft-shelled turtles are very bizarre looking turtles. They have a smooth, leathery shell that looks so different from other turtle species. This shell is made of bone like other turtles, but it is covered in thick skin made of keratin.  The lighter shell allows these turtles to rocket through the water away from strong alligator jaws.

Russian Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii

Reptiles Alive Name: “Russiano”

Hissstory: Russiano came to Reptiles Alive in May 2001 when his owner decided tortoises do not make good pets.

RA Diet: Grasses, leafy greens, veggies, and commercial zoo tortoise food pellets.

Natural Diet: Grasses, plants, and flowers.

Range: Central Asia:  Russian Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Western China, and Iran.

Habitat: These hardy tortoises dwell in deserts and dry grasslands with sparse vegetation.

Size: Russian tortoises are relatively small tortoises.  They can grow up to about 8  inches long.

Lifespan: As with many tortoises these can live over 50 years.

Reproduction: Russian tortoises breed soon after they emerge from hibernation. They lay 1-5 large eggs which hatch in 8-12 weeks.

Conservation: Most Russian tortoises sold as pets in the United States have been captured in the wild by commercial animal collectors and then sold into the pet trade.  Due to improper care, most pet tortoises suffer from a variety of diseases, bone deformities,  and many die from lack of care.

Cool Facts: Russian tortoises are great at tunneling and digging.  With their powerful arms and long, tough claws, they are able to dig burrows long enough and deep enough to survive the extreme heat and cold of the dry grasslands and deserts where they live.

Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Reptiles Alive Name: “Turtle Rex, aka T Rex”

Hissstory: T Rex was abandoned at the Fairfax County animal shelter and was sent to us in 1998.  He was an unwanted pet that grew too big. Even though he is a native reptile, he cannot be released into the wild because we have no information about where he came from or whether he was exposed to exotic turtles or not.

Reptiles Alive Diet: Dead mice, roaches, and crickets.

Natural Diet: Snapping turtles eat nearly anything that makes the mistake of getting close to their powerful jaws: insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, insects, and any kind of carrion.

Range: Snapping turtles have an enormous range.  They can be found from eastern Canada south through most of the central and eastern United States and down through Mexico into Central America.  They are native to the Washington DC area.

Habitat: Snapping turtles will take up residence in almost any body of freshwater including:  ponds, lakes, slow moving rivers, and will even live in artificial water features.  Some populations of snapping turtles also can be found in brackish water including salt marshes.

Size: Common snapping turtles typically grow 8-14 inches, rarely to 19 inches.  They can weigh 10 to 75 pounds.

Lifespan: Snapping turtles can live over 40 years.

Reproduction: Snapping turtles breed from April-November. They typically lay up to 80 eggs in June in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. They will venture far from the water to lay their eggs in a safe, dry place. Eggs hatch in 9-18 weeks depending on the weather. Females have the ability to retain sperm internally and fertilize eggs as needed.

Conservation: Snapping turtles and their eggs are harvested commercially in many parts of the United States as food for humans.  Scientists are currently studying the effects of this harvest on the turtle population.  Due to their high juvenile mortality rate, snapping turtles are not able to reproduce quickly enough to recover from over-harvesting.

Scientists have discovered that snapping turtles in certain areas, like many fish, have high levels of PCB chemicals in their flesh and eggs.  These stored chemicals can be hazardous to humans who eat contaminated turtles and the chemicals will eventually reduce the overall population of turtles.

Cool Facts: While submerged under the water, snapping turtles are not aggressive toward humans.  In fact, they will retreat if they sense a human nearby.  On land, however, they feel vulnerable.  Their shell does not fully protect them, so they “snap” and bite to scare away any threatening figure.  Just remember, they are “scaredy turtles” – if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.  Please don’t try to bother them – how would you feel if a turtle poked a stick at you?  They don’t like it either!

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

R2D2 the Eastern Box Turtle

Reptiles Alive Name: “R2D2″

Hissstory:  We received R2D2 after she was hit by a car.  We were able to save her life and heal most of her wounds.  Her lower jaw, however, was so badly damaged that she can now eat only soft food – so she became non-releasable and was added to our education collection.

RA Diet: All of R2′s food comes finely chopped or blended.  She gets a mixture of pureed:  berries, melons, worms, slugs, and special zoo turtle food that is soaked in water until it is soft and mushy for her.

Natural Diet: Wild box turtles will eat just about anything!   Fruit, berries, slugs, snails,insects, worms, mushrooms, baby mice, and carrion are all part of a box turtle’s diet.

Range:  Eastern Box turtles range in the eastern United States from New York south to Florida and west into Texas.

Habitat: Box turtles may be found in forests, moist meadows, and suburban parks and yards.

Size: Box turtles grow 6-8 inches long. Females tend to grow larger than males.

Lifespan: Box turtles can live over 50 years – the record is 138 years!

Reproduction: Females nest May through July, laying 3-8 eggs.  Female box turtles can store sperm for several years. Hatchlings may winter in the nest then emerge in the spring.

Conservation: Box turtles are protected in most states and should not be collected as pets from the wild.  Due to their slow rate of reproduction, when adult box turtles are removed from the wild either by collection for the pet trade or death by automobiles, the entire local population of turtles can be threatened.

It is also important not to relocate box turtles.  They have a small home range or territory where they spend their life.  Turtles relocated by well-meaning but uninformed people have difficulty finding food, water, and shelter.  The survival rate for relocated box turtles is very low.

If you see a box turtle, the best thing for you to do is just leave turtles alone.

Cool Fact: The reason box turtles are called “box” turtles is because they have a unique ability to close their bottom shell up to their top shell – they close up like a box!  Most turtles can tuck their heads and limbs inside their shell, but most cannot fully close up like box turtles can.  So remember, they are not boxing turtles (they don’t punch and kick!), they are called box turtles.

Matt - the African Spurred Tortoise

The days are growing shorter and the nights are cooling off – which means Matt has to go to his winter home at Janis’s house.

Matt is a 50 pound African Spurred Tortoise that one of our former Animal Keepers acquired in Las Vegas as a hatchling about 10 years ago.  While working as a Keeper here, Janis brought her two tortoises Matt and her leopard tortoise “Dash” (we actually renamed Dash “Janis”) to live at Reptiles Alive.

Both Janis (the tortoise) and Matt were featured in our live animal shows at schools, libraries and other events.  Matt had a great time at shows – he LOVES the attention and the treats he gets when he is “working.”

Janis (the person) left her position here to work as a Keeper at the National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center.  She left both tortoises in our care, but Matt eventually became too heavy to carry to shows.

Now, Matt gets to come and live at the Reptiles Alive Tortoise Camp in the summer and goes home to live at the Janis Tortoise Resort & Spa in the winter.   Even though we no longer take Matt to shows, we still love his company in the summer.  We really don’t miss his enormous messes in the winter though.

See you next summer Matt!

To see some very cool videos of Matt, visit our facebook fan page

Snapping Turtle

Posting by Caroline Seitz

This past weekend was invasion of the snapping turtle time. Mama snappers left the comfort of their wet homes to invade suburban yards to lay their eggs.  So, here at Reptiles Alive, we got a ton of calls from people concerned about the turtles and wanting to know what to do.

“There is a snapping turtle laying eggs in my yard – what should I do?”

Well, the short answer is, nothing.  If you leave the mama snapper alone, she will simply lay her eggs and leave.  The mama turtle will not guard her nest or take care of the babies.  If and when the eggs hatch, the babies will go on their way.

The long answer:

Snapping turtles spend most of their lives at the bottom of ponds, lakes, and rivers.  They eat carrion, fish, and other creatures that get too close to their powerful jaws.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, female snapping turtles will leave the water to lay their eggs in late May and early June.  The female turtles may walk a mile or more away from the water to find a suitable nesting site.  Once she finds a good spot, she will dig a hole with her back legs.  She might dig multiple holes before laying and she might lay eggs in multiple nests – so just because you see a turtle digging a hole in your yard does not neccessarily mean there will be eggs buried there.

After laying the eggs, the turtle may hang around for a day or so because she is tired, but she will soon leave.  Like most reptiles, turtles do not care for their young or protect their eggs.  The female will simply abandon the nest and head back to her watery home.

Most of the eggs laid by turtles will  never hatch.  Many of the eggs are predated upon by raccoons, foxes, and insects.  Some of the eggs may be infertile.  So, if a turtle has laid eggs in your yard, the eggs may never hatch at all.

Some people ask if they can dig up the eggs and re-bury them in a “better” spot.  This is NOT a good idea.  If reptile eggs are moved or rolled, the embryos inside the egg can die.  Also, the female turtle instinctively knows the right depth, temperature, moisture level, etc… that the eggs need for proper development.  If you dig a hole and “plant” the eggs, they will almost certainly die.  If you feel you must re-locate the eggs, the best chance the eggs will have is for you to artificially incubate them.  There is a good article about turtle egg incubation at http://www.gctts.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Public/CaringForChelonianEggs

If the eggs do hatch, the quarter size babies will usually scatter away from the nest and head for the nearest body of water.  If you have artificially incubated the eggs, you need to release the babies in a pond or other slow moving body of water as close the original nesting site as possible.  Do not attempt to feed the babies or keep the babies for any length of time.  Release them immediately.

If the babies are very lucky, they can live up to around 30 years or more and grow from a tiny quarter size to giant 20 pound turtle.

Posting by Caroline Seitz

Memorial Day was a particularly busy day, herpetologically speaking.  I started the day in my garden with a cup of coffee and a Northern Brown Snake basking on top of some thyme.  I was careful not to disturb the little foot long snake, and he seemed happy to hang out.  I love having brown snakes in the garden since they love to eat slugs and snails.  I also just happen to like snakes in general.

As Rachel was getting ready to drive in to work, she spotted her neighbor about to hurt a Black Rat snake that was in his front yard. Luckily, she was able to save the snake and move it to the woods in the back of his property.  Black Rat snakes help control rodent populations and are not dangerous to humans in any way.

Later, while Rachel was loading animals to go to her show, she heard our next-door neighbor scream!  She asked if he was ok and he said he just saw a snake in his golf bag in the garage and would she please come and get it.  Rachel had to leave so she would be on time for her reptile birthday show, so she came and got me.  I went over to my neighbor’s and found the 4 feet long Black Rat snake hiding behind a shelf in the back of his garage.  I gently picked it up, carried it to the bushes in my front yard and released it.

Whew – but that was not all!

As usual, I saw the Five-lined Skink lizards that live in the my compost area.  These beautful blue, yellow, and brown striped lizards are fantastic insect hunters and are a fabulous addition to any garden.  They are also fun to watch.

The grand finale of the reptile day was in the evening.  We had a Reptiles Alive Memorial Day barbecue with Jen Pennington, Jen Rafter, Rachel and a few other friends and family members.  As Rachel was walking in the garden, she found a young Eastern Box turtle!  We all looked at the turtle and noted how young and healthy it looked before returning it to the garden.

So, to review, in one day in one neighborhood we saw:   One Northern Brown snake, one Black Rat Snake, two Five-lined Skinks, one Eastern Box turtle and Rachel saw one more Black Rat snake in her neighborhood before she came to work.

Spotted Turtle
Clemmys guttata

Reptiles Alive Name: Spot

Hissstory: Spot was donated to us from a nature center.

RA Diet: Earthworms, crickets, meal worms and  zoo aquatic turtle food.

Natural Diet: Spotted turtles are omnivorous – meaning they eat both plants and meat.  Algae, leaves of soft aquatic plants water lily seeds, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, amphibian eggs, tadpoles, and carrion are all eaten by spotted turtles.

Range: Eastern Canada south through the eastern United States including the Washington D.C. region.

Habitat: Small ponds, vernal pools, marshes, swamps and wet woodlands

Size: Grows 3.5 – 4.5 inches, with a record of 5 inches

Lifespan: Can live over 20 years

Reproduction: Spotted turtles breed March – May. Females lay 3-5 eggs in June. The eggs hatch in the fall and sometimes the hatchling turtles overwinter in the nest.

Conservation Issues: Spotted turtles are threatened in many areas due to habitat loss, pollution and the pet trade.

Cool Facts: Spotted turtles emerge from hibernation earlier than most other turtles.  They can function at lower temperatures than most other reptiles species.