Activity, Growth, Reproduction, and Population Structure of Desert Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) at the Northern Edge of the Chihuahuan Desert

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Germano
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Terrapene Ornata ◽  
Box Turtles ◽  
Northern Edge

PREVALENCE OF INTRAERYTHROCYTIC PARASITES IN MAROCHELYS TEMMINCKII, EMYDOIDEA BLANDINGII, TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA, AND TERRAPENE ORNATA ORNATA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Doke ◽  
Kara Hiebert ◽  
Melanie Repella ◽  
Megan Stuart ◽  
Lauren Mumm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Classes ◽  
Emydoidea Blandingii ◽  
Terrapene Carolina ◽  
Terrapene Ornata ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Box Turtles ◽  
Eastern Box Turtles ◽  
Specific Species ◽  
Terrapene Carolina Carolina ◽  
Free Ranging

Few studies have characterized the prevalence of intraerythrocytic parasites in free-ranging chelonian populations or their occurrence across habitats. It is hypothesized that chelonians in different habitats have different exposures to vectors and thus, differences in hemoparasite presence. This study explored the prevalence and intensity of intraerythrocytic parasites by examining blood smears from four species of Illinois turtles: wild Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) (EBT), and ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) (OBT) and headstarted alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) (AST). Intraerythrocytic parasites were identified in all examined species except for the alligator snapping turtle. For all age classes, Blanding’s turtles had both the highest prevalence of hemoparasites and intensity of infection of all sampled species, while adult Blanding’s turtles had a significantly higher prevalence than juveniles (P<0.05). As this is the first study of hemoparasites in Illinois chelonians, further research is needed to identify the specific species of intraerythrocytic parasite, the potential vectors, and the effect these hemoparasites have on the health of chelonians.

Thread trailing of turtles: methods for evaluating spatial movements and pathway structure

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2120-2128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis L. Claussen ◽  
Michael S. Finkler ◽  
Meghan M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Directional Bias ◽  
Turning Angle ◽  
Nebraska Sand Hills ◽  
Terrapene Ornata ◽  
Similar Information ◽  
Box Turtles ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Mean Vector

Although many authors have used thread trailing to monitor movements of turtles and other vertebrates, most have evaluated only a portion of the information contained in these pathways. We describe ways of extracting information from thread trails by determining length of trail, mean distance moved per unit time, net displacement, area encompassed by the trail, mean turning angle, and mean vector length. We further describe and compare four measures of trail sinuosity, the ratio of greatest distance to length of path (d/L), the square root of the ratio of area to path length [Formula: see text], fractal dimension (D), and sinuosity (S); we then applied these methods to the trails of a population of ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata) from the Nebraska Sand Hills. Though preliminary, these data suggest that vegetation cover affects the sinuosity of turtle trails (based on D), that temperature affects the mean distance moved per day, that T. ornata ordinarily show little or no directional bias, and that injury can affect distance moved, trail sinuosity, and mean turning angle. Among these measures of trail sinuosity, D and S are highly correlated and provide similar information. Though less closely correlated with D and S, or with each other, [Formula: see text] and d/L also reflect trail sinuosity; of these indices, however, d/L best reflects trail directionality. This analysis suggests that a more comprehensive evaluation of pathways at this fine scale will provide new insights into the routine movements of animals.

Thermal consequences of subterranean nesting behavior in a prairie-dwelling turtle, the Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Tucker ◽  
Jeramie T. Strickland ◽  
David K. Delaney ◽  
Day B. Ligon
Keyword(s):  
Substrate Surface ◽  
Temperature Fluctuations ◽  
Nesting Behavior ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Terrapene Ornata ◽  
Box Turtles ◽  
Nest Depth ◽  
Incubation Duration ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Incubation Temperatures

Many oviparous reptiles deposit eggs in excavated nest chambers, and the location and depth at which eggs are laid can affect predation risk, incubation duration, mortality rates, and hatchling phenotype. Among turtles, nest depth also influences incubation conditions of some large-bodied species, but nest depth is generally expected to vary less among small-bodied species. We monitored nesting behavior of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata (Agassiz, 1857)) for two seasons in Illinois. We used direct observations to confirm that, among 31 nesting events, six females oviposited while beneath the substrate surface. Furthermore, comparisons of body length to nest depth indicated that five additional females likely also constructed nests while buried. Nests laid while females were underground were deeper, on average, than other nests (16.7 versus 11.2 cm), and while mean nest temperatures were similar between groups, temperature fluctuations and maximum temperatures were lower among nests that were laid while females were underground. Subterranean oviposition appears to have moderated incubation temperatures by allowing females to deposit eggs at greater depths than would be possible from the surface. This little-documented behavior may be a mechanism for this species to influence the incubation environment, which in turn may influence hatchling phenotypes.

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