You see a turtle on a log in the pond near your space and you think, “This guy did it. He goes to bed most of the day, throws himself in the water for lunch, goes back to the trunk and enjoys the sun the rest. of the day. “
Turns out this turtle has a lot of mileage.
Researchers at the University of Jacksonville report that two of Florida’s most common freshwater turtles (peninsula scarves and red-bellied scarves) have a tendency to travel.
And it can lead to adjustments in the way land develops around the state’s watercourses, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.
“We saw a female, a cooter peninsula, who traveled nine miles in a week,” said John Enz, professor of biology and marine sciences and head of research.
Clinical literature stated that the diversity of turtles was only a few hundred meters, Enz said, but in annual population surveys, “we would capture and label a turtle for a year and we would not see it back for two, three, 4 or five years. And in our research, it reports that 50 other people are hunting turtles in the same place every year, so we don’t miss much. “
Enz began to wonder where the turtles were going for so long before returning.
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He and Tabitha Hootman, who holds a master’s degree in marine sciences for their participation in the study, pasted and installed radio monitors on 50 turtles: 25 seals on the peninsula and 25 Florida red seals, with an equivalent combination of men and women. .
He tracked his movements in 2019 and discovered that turtles traveled on average more than a mile per year, five to ten times more than previously thought.
Some have frustrating feet.
In addition to the tortoise that traveled nine miles in a week, some other women traveled about 22 miles a year.
“We had several turtles that traveled five to six miles in a few weeks,” Enz said.
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Femen tended to go further, however, men became more common and longer according to the study.
The test doesn’t explain why turtles need to get up and leave.
“It may be just to locate food, ” said Enz. ” It can be just to locate pairs or, in the case of females, to locate nesting sites away from people. “
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Why do we care if turtles move more than we think?Catching wild scarves is illegal, but it’s not that they’re in danger.
That’s the point, says Enz.
“We don’t do anything to examine a species until it’s in danger either,” Enz said. “If you examine a species that is still common, you can find a larger conservation plan to keep it that way. In fact, it’s bigger than waiting”. for about a hundred on the left and looking to save them.
Enz said he was expecting “a big hoo-bob” when it was released this fall.
Because turtles pass so far, they are wanted to reserve more land.
“I don’t expect the test to block any progression from the earth,” Enz said, “but I hope this will result in more land in a new progression that will be reserved for habitat. “
The test was conducted at and around Wekiwa Springs State Park, north of Orlando, but turtles across the state might have similar behavior if they had room to move, Enz said.
“It depends on whether the ponds and wetlands are connected, whether the progression cuts off their lanes of traffic and hinders their movement.
Both species are threatened by collisions with boats and others who collect them for feeding. The Florida Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Commission prohibits the capture or ownership of wild turtles.
The studies funded through a $ 9,000 grant from Fish
How to identify: shell up to 125/8 inches in females, 111/8 inches in males; reddish orange back shell; red bar in any aspect of the helmet; notch in the jaw
Habitat: River and springs in Florida and southern Georgia
Diet: herbivore
Nesting season: May-August
How to identify it: Top shell length up to 14 inches in females, 111. 3 inches in males; yellow marks of the helmet on the back; yellow fork-shaped markings on the back of the head
Habitat: Florida Peninsula river and springs
Diet: herbivore
Nesting season: September-June
Source: Santa Fe River Turtle Project
Tyler Treadway is an environmental journalist specializing in the front of the Indian River Lagoon. Support his paintings at TCPalm. com. Contact him at 772-221-4219 and tyler. treadway@tcpalm. com.