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The Wood Turtle: Clemmys insculpt The wood turtle is mostly a terrestrial reptile making its home along wooded streams and rivers in the upper watershed. This turtle is considered medium sized and grows to be about 5-9 inches in length. The wood turtle is so named because its shell (carapace) resembles a cross-section of a wood grained branch. The body is tan or brown with yellow streaks and red to orange legs. The wood turtle prefers streams with clear water and harder substrates but spends much of its time in the fields and forests adjacent to these flowing bodies. It eats insects, worms and berries. In Massachusetts, the wood turtle is classified as a species of special concern. This species is in danger because of stream pollution, habitat fragmentation, extensive collection, and the development along wooded streambanks.  (Image from http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/turtles/Wood_Turtle.html) |
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