When many of us think of native Texas wildlife we think of deer and quail and songbirds and turkey. Horned frogs and javelinas may cross our minds as well. Until we see one puttering across the road, perhaps even stopping to lift it more swiftly to its destination, turtles may not immediately jump to mind. But, from the threatened alligator snapping turtle to the common red-eared slider found across the state, Texas lays claim to a remarkable array of native turtles. Indeed, there are so many we’ll only touch on a few here but be prepared to get a shell of a lot of Texas turtle information.
All tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises
Before diving into the details of a few Texas turtles, let’s address the tortoise in the room. What’s the difference – or is there a difference – between turtles and tortoises? In a nut – err – turtle shell, as explained by Encyclopedia Britannica:
“All tortoises are in fact turtles—that is, they belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia, reptiles having bodies encased in a bony shell—but not all turtles are tortoises.”
The primary difference between the two is that tortoises are exclusively land dwellers, while turtles spend most of their lives in water. Turtles tend to have flipper-like, webbed feet for swimming while tortoises are built for walking with “elephantine” rear legs and more shovel-like front legs designed for digging. Also, tortoises are typically vegetarians, while turtles are omnivores.
Turtles of Texas
Some of the more common turtles found on Landmark Wildlife properties in Texas are red-eared sliders, common snapping turtles, and even the threatened alligator snapping turtles. “The red-eared slider is perhaps the best known and most recognizable of turtles,” notes Texas Parks & Wildlife. “It is a medium sized turtle with a dark green oval shell, marked with yellow in younger turtles, green legs with thin yellow stripes and a green head with a red stripe behind the eye.” Why a “slider”? That’s thanks to “their habit of sliding off rocks and logs when startled.” Breeding season is March through July when females produce up to three clutches of eggs. Once the eggs are laid in a hole the female digs in the ground, they are on their own. The female leaves and the young turtles are born having to take care of themselves. In “WILD ABOUT TEXAS: Red-eared sliders are almost everywhere”, author Michael Price describes their nesting:
“After mating, the female will lay her clutch of eight to seventeen eggs in late spring. To do so, many females will travel long distances over land to find a suitable nesting area. Many are killed along roadways during this time, and many more are picked up by well-to-do persons who want to re-release them back into the water, all the while unknowingly disrupting her nesting pattern. Once the eggs are laid in the nest, which is dug out with the hind legs of the mother, they incubate for about two to three months. Once the young hatch, they must make the perilous journey back to the water on their own.”
When it comes to enjoying their time in the sun, these sliders can’t be bothered by lack of rock or log space. They will just stack on top of each other. Red-eared sliders can live to 30 years of age. In the winter, to escape the cold, they bury themselves in loose soil or mud.
The common snapping turtle is another, well, common turtle in Texas. They can be found in just about any body of fresh water with a muddy bottom, while some may even inhabit brackish. As described by Herps of Texas, they will “eat just about anything (they) can get a hold of and swallow. Fish, birds, snakes, turtles, amphibians, various invertebrates and some plant material. Carrion is not refused.” As described by Texas Parks & Wildlife, the common snapping turtle “has an oval-shaped head and a comparatively smooth, rounded shell that appears too small for its body.” The shell is typically anywhere from 8 to 18 inches. Nesting period is between mid-May and mid-June and average clutch sizes are 20 to 40 eggs. The common snapping turtle is not a protected species in Texas which, along with its markedly smaller size, distinguishes it from the alligator snapping turtle.
Alligator snapping turtles are classified as a threatened species in Texas. The alligator snapping turtle’s shell can grow to anywhere between 30 to 40 inches, it can weigh around 175 pounds, and live to 50 to 100 years old. Nesting season is May to July, and clutch sizes are 9 to 44 eggs. This turtle, says Texas Parks & Wildlife, “looks more like a small dinosaur with three distinct ridges on its shell.” It has “a triangular head and one feature that is unique among turtles: a fleshy ‘lure’ at the bottom of its mouth. When the turtle opens its jaws under water, the lure moves with the current and fools potential prey animals into thinking it’s a worm.”
The alligator snapping turtle likes the bottom of rivers, lakes, sloughs, swamps, and bayous, as Herps of Texas notes. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, as flood waters began to recede, Texas Parks & Wildlife asked those in areas affected by flooding to be on the lookout for alligator snapping turtles with this caution: “Snapping turtles can be large and aggressive – always keep your distance.”
How do turtles survive during drought?
If turtles are aquatic creatures, how do they survive Texas droughts? The yellow mud turtle, found primarily west of the I-35 corridor, in the Panhandle, Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos eco-regions, offers an example of drought survival. In “Yellow mud turtles go deep during drought”, author Michael price describes:
“During times of severe drought and heat, this species has adapted to living life out of sight. Studies have shown that this species will bury several inches under ground and have been known to stay there until substantial moisture arrives, often waiting weeks or even months. This process is known as aestivation, and is very similar to their winter brumation activity. They do not sleep, but rather their metabolism slows almost to a halt, allowing only for minimal oxygen exchange and no more.”
While turtles may not win most popular when it comes to Texas wildlife, when you see them puttering across a road, done with their brief motherly duties, sunbathing on the rocks (or each other), snacking on some carrion, or burying themselves in the ground to wait out the cold or the drought, they’re probably turtely cool with that.
For much more on the Turtles of Texas, check out these online resources:
P.S. One more little-known turtle fact. What do turtles use to communicate? A shellphone!
