Distributional Records of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in Nebraska

Authors

Sam Thede, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Dan Fogell, Southeast Community CollegeFollow
Keith Geluso, University of Nebraska—KearneyFollow

Date of this Version

7-28-2025

Document Type

Article

Citation

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 45 (2025), 62–72. doi:10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.45.4

Comments

Copyright © 2025 Samuel A. Thede, Daniel D. Fogell, and Keith Geluso

Abstract

Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a species of concern in North America as many populations have declined across its distribution. Environmental factors associated with alteration of natural ecosystems have played a role in declines leading to many isolated populations. Most populations exist in the Great Lakes region with a number of outlying populations, such as Nebraska. Understanding the current distribution of the species will facilitate regional management strategies to protect this species into the future. In Nebraska, Blanding’s Turtles were known from 23 counties prior to this study. Herein, we report on eight new county records, five (Blaine, Boone, Madison, Sherman, and Valley) that fill in gaps within the known distribution whereas three (Boyd, Dawes, and Knox) represent range extensions along edges of its known distribution in the state. These new records demonstrate that the complete distribution of Blanding’s Turtles in Nebraska is not yet fully understood, and future surveys are still needed to continue to update its distribution and monitor known populations.