Hello from Kelly at Think Turtle Conservation Initiative
Turtles are slower to reach sexual maturity compared to many other wildlife species.
Regarding turtles, sexual maturity has more to do with size than age. The active season for turtles is from April to October, with most of the nesting in Ontario occurring mid-May through to mid-July, with June being the peak month for nesting. Please view the following as a general guideline;
Turtles Native To Ontario
Blanding’s Turtle – Females between 17 – 20 years. Males tend to reach sexual maturity quicker at around 12 years.
Eastern Musk Turtle ‘Stinkpot’ – Females between 9 – 11 years. Males between 3 to 4 years.
Northern Map Turtle – Males 5 – 6 years. Females generally mature at 12 years.
Painted Turtle – Male Painted turtles take up to six years. Females take six to ten years to reach sexual maturity.
Snapping Turtle – Both sexes of the common snapping turtle reach sexual maturity when their carapace (shell) has acquired a length of roughly 8 inches (20.32 cm). This can take between 17 – 20 years.
Spiny-Soft Shell – Males become sexually mature around five years of age. Females around ten years of age.
Spotted Turtle – Sexual maturity for both sexes is attained when turtles are 11-15 years old.
Wood Turtle – Males reach sexual maturity in approximately 12-20 years, depending mainly on geographic location, with females taking longer to reach breeding age, 15 – 25.
Interesting Facts
All turtles lay their eggs on land, none show parental care. The eggs and resulting hatchlings are left to fend for themselves and locate the water upon emerging.
The female snapping turtle may keep viable sperm in her body for three years so that eggs are fertilized even in years when she does not mate.
Turtles are capable of reproducing throughout their lifespan once they have reached maturity. The older females are, the more productive they are, meaning they lay more eggs yearly. In theory, this should give turtles an evolutionary edge but with an increased number of nests lost to predation and adult turtles to road mortality, habitat loss, and poaching; this has contributed to turtles being a species at risk and in crisis provincially and globally.
Eggs need to be warmed to survive and develop and are, therefore, at the weather’s mercy. Too cold, and the eggs are slow or unlikely to hatch in the fall. Too hot, and the eggs can dry out and die.
As with many reptile species, egg temperature during embryo development determines the gender of the turtle hatchling. Cooler temperatures produce males, and warmer temperatures will produce more females. This is known as Temperature-dependent Sex Determination (TSD).
Where an egg is located in the nest plays a factor as well. Eggs at the top of the nest will be exposed to more warmth; thus, there is more of a chance of female hatchlings. The eggs in the middle are more inclined to be a mix of female and male, while eggs on the bottom of the nest are more apt to be male.
Global warming poses a potential threat to biodiversity all over the world. Turtles and other long-lived reptile species with temperature-dependent sex determination are at particular risk. In these species, increases in temperature can lead to biased sex ratios. Research shows that hot summers produce a female-skewed sex ratio, with an increased number of hatchlings being female. A shortage of males would lead to mate-finding difficulties, failure to reproduce, and population decline. Conservation efforts in the future to ensure a sufficient number of males to females may be necessary to pursue evolutionary rescue—yet another reason the climate change crisis needs to be addressed.
On a positive note there is no shortage of ongoing research and conservation efforts to protect this iconic and important species. Thank you to everyone that is a friend to the turtles and helps them maintain their early prescence.
Best Regards,
Kelly Wallace, Managing Director
Think Turtle Conservation Initiative
Phone/Text: 647-606-9537
E-mail: thinkturtle@yahoo.com
Facebook: thinkturtleci
Username: Wallace Kathleen Kelly
Website: thinkturtle.ca
Facebook Post: #1032
THINK TURTLE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE 