Nebraska Herpetofaunal Atlas

REPTILIA (Reptiles) TESTUDINES (Turtles) EMYDIDAE (Box and Basking Turtles)

Blanding's Turtle
Emydoidea blandingii (Holbrook 1838)

Conservation Status:
State: None
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S5 - Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: None

Diagnosis:
A moderately-sized turtle, Blanding’s Turtle has a dark carapace with light yellow spots and streaks radiating on it as well as on the top of the neck and head. The upper jaw is notched at the front of the mouth. The plastron has a single hinge that allows the body to be withdrawn partially into the shell. The most identifying feature, however, is the bright yellow pigment on the chin and throat. No other turtle in Nebraska will have this characteristic. The plastron is yellow with black “smudge marks” along outer edges of scutes. The carapace is high-domed when compared to other aquatic turtles, and the tail is noticeably long though not as long as that of Snapping Turtles. Lengths are between 5.0 and 8.0 inches (12.7-20.3 cm) with females larger than males.

Distribution:
Basically a turtle of the southern Great Lakes region, Blanding’s Turtles can be found from northwestern New York west across the southern Great Lakes to Minnesota and southwest into Nebraska. They extend south through the northern portions of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. There are isolated populations in South Dakota, southeastern New York, eastern New England, and Nova Scotia, and in extreme northwestern Missouri where they have been discovered recently. Blanding’s Turtles are particularly abundant in lakes and sandy streams of Nebraska’s unique Sand Hills region. They are present but uncommon in northeastern and eastern Nebraska. They are absent from the panhandle region and most counties south of the Platte River.
(, Museum Voucher) (, Observation) (, Literature Record) (, iNat Record), ( Fossil)
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Occurrence Summary:
408
Records
408
Museum Vouchers
0
Other Observations

Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Antelope (3); Arthur (4); Brown (5); Buffalo (8); Cherry (199); Colfax (1); Custer (2); Dawes (1); Douglas (1); Dundy (1); Garden (1); Grant (133); Hall (1); Holt (13); Hooker (2); Knox (1); Logan (1); Loup (1); Nance (2); Polk (1); Rock (8); Saunders (1); Stanton (4); Thomas (12); Valley (1); Washington (1);

Natural History:
This turtle is active from late March through mid-October, mates in early spring, and nests from May through June. Eggs are elongate in shape and leathery in consistency. Blanding’s Turtles are omnivorous, but the bulk of their food is animal matter – snails, earthworms, fish, and frogs. They will eat both on land and submerged under water. Though Blanding’s Turtles are predominantly aquatic turtles, they often traverse great distances over land during summer months. They even have been found using shallow puddles of water formed from overflowing cattle tanks in grazing pastures. More commonly, however, Blanding’s Turtles are found in marshes, permanent pools, and small streams with sandy substrates and abundant vegetation.

Occurrence Activity:

Remarks:

Bibliography:

1992	Rowe, John W. Observations of body size, growth, and reproduction in Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) from western Nebraska. Canadian Journal of Zoology 70():1690-1695
2000	Germano, D. J., R. B. Bury, and M. Jennings. Growth and population structure of Emydoidea blandingii from western Nebraska. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3():618-625
2003	Bury, R. Bruce and D. J. Germano. Differences in habitat use by Blanding's turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, and painted turtles, Chrysemys picta, in the Nebraska sandhills. American Midland Naturalist (149):241-244

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