User:NYMFan69-86/Sandbox 2

Sandbox 2
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 * Glyptemys
 * Taxonomy
 * Description
 * Distribution and habitat
 * Evolutionary history
 * Ecology and behavior
 * These turtles are diurnal and become active in the early morning.
 * During times of extreme cold, they each spend time underwater while the bog has also been known to seek dense underbrush or mud to bury itself in.
 * During times of extreme heat, these turtles sometimes estivate.

The spotted turtle is small and has a black bass color. It's upper shell (carapace) is smooth, does not have a central ridge running down the middle (keel), and reaches a maximum of 12.5 cm. The defining characteristic of this turtle is the presence of round yellow spots on its upper shell. The bottom shell plastron is yellow or orange-yellow and a black spot is present on each section (scute) however, with age, melanism of the plastron increases until the entire thing is black.
 * Spotted turtle
 * Taxonomy
 * Description

The head is black and the upper jaw is notched; many are spotted. Skin on the dorsal side of the turtle is black with sparse yellow spots while skin on the ventral side may be brighter: orange, pink, or red.

Males and females can be told apart from birth. The male spotted turtle has a tan chin, brown eyes, and a long, thick tail. The chin of the female is yellow; she also has orange eyes and a shorter tail than the male. In addition, the bottom shell of males is concave while it is either flat or convex in females. The spotted turtle ranges from southern Maine, Quebec, and Ontario, south along the eastern US to Florida in the east and central Indiana and Ohio in the west. Disjunct populations exist in the Canadian portion of its range and also in central Illinois and central Georgia.
 * Distribution and habitat

The spotted turtle feeds at temperatures above 14.2 C, which in its range corresponds to roughly the middle of March onward until September. It is omnivorous and eats exclusively in the water, consuming plant material including aquatic vegetation, green algae, and in at least one instance, wild cranberries. Animal food includes aquatic insect larvae, worms, slugs, milipedes, spiders, crustaceans, tadpoles (genera Bufo and Rana), salamanders, five genera of fish, and even a mallard duck. These items are consumed alive or dead but always in the water.
 * Population features
 * Evolutionary history and fossil record
 * Ecology and behavior
 * Predators
 * Diet

In captivity, these turtles will eat fruits such as cantaloupe and watermelon and fresh and canned fish.

Some of the insects commonly found in with the spotted turtle's stomach contents are terrestrial, suggesting the turtle moves onto land to hunt.


 * Movement
 * Life cycle
 * Conservation