Today I'm writing about one thing that really helped to spark my interest in Marine Biology. When I was in sixth grate, my class had the opportunity to head-start two Blandings Turtles. Head starting is a program that sends a baby turtle of an endangered species to a class or organization and they raise it for about eight months until it is big and strong enough to live in the wild. Our class raised two turtles, Sun and Star. I really caught on to having these awesome little turtles in our classroom, and when we were given our 'Science in Society' project(a project in which you choose a subject that interests you and is specific and relates to the world around you) I choose the endangered Blandings Turtles.
Some things I learned about Blandings Turtles:
- An omnivorous species
- Sometimes confused with two similar species, Box turtle, and also with the Spotted Turtle.
- They breed in spring, late summer or fall. Nesting occurs from May through early July depending upon temperatures.
- Hatching occurs early August to mid-October.
Some Reasons Blandings Turtles are endangered:
- Habitat destruction and fragmentation
- Hunted by raccoons, foxes and skunks.
- They can easily get hit by cars, buses, ect.
- The big reason- They don't mature until 15-20 years old, and so the chances of getting hit by a car or eaten before they can reproduce are very high.
- Habitat destruction and fragmentation
- Hunted by raccoons, foxes and skunks.
- They can easily get hit by cars, buses, ect.
- The big reason- They don't mature until 15-20 years old, and so the chances of getting hit by a car or eaten before they can reproduce are very high.
In May last year, our whole class got on a bus with the turtles, and after an agonizing bus ride in which the driver insisted on playing the Frozen soundtrack (which the turtles didn't really like) we set them free. Sun was actually big enough to put a tracker on, and so they can keep track of how well head start turtles survive compared to turtles that grew up in the wild.
Anyway, Sun and Star were a big hit, and this year, our class has two new turtles - Cinnamon and Sugar. I will keep you posted on them as they grow up over the next few months! Cinnamon is already bigger than Sun was in November, and so we know he will be a big, strong turtle in the wild
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