Differences in Habitat Use by Blanding’s Turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, and Painted Turtles, Chysemys picta, in the Nebraska Sandhills

Authors

R. Bruce Bury, California State University - Bakersfield
David J. Germano, California State University - Bakersfield

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2003

Comments

Published in Am. Midl. Nat. 149:241–244, January 2003.

Abstract

We sampled a variety of wetlands in the Nebraska sandhills at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. Significantly more individuals of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) occurred in lakes and open waters than in marshes or small ponds, and the opposite was true for Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii). Besides this marked difference in habitat use, 46% of the captured E. blandingii in pond/marsh habitat were juveniles, but only 31.6% in lakes and open water. Current information suggests that marshes and small ponds are important habitat for juvenile turtles, especially Emydoidea blandingii.