pond – Discover-Nature

Turtles in Illinois

Of the more than 250 species of turtles in the world, 17 of them are native to Illinois. Some Illinois turtle species are found only in specific habitats, whereas others thrive in a variety of different places. Turtles are active through the warm months of the year, but all species hibernate during the winter. Illinois turtles are omnivores, feeding mostly on plants, fruit, snails, clams, and insects.

^{Alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii: Lives in rivers, lakes, canals, and cypress swamps, mostly in the southern half of the state; has a red worm-like projection from its lower jaw that is used to lure fish into its mouth; Status: Endangered; UofI-AST; IDNR-AST}

Turtles have a unique body structure consisting of a keratin shell, consisting of a tough fiber made of protein. Shells may be a leathery, pliable skin-like covering or a hard cover made of scutes of varying shapes and sizes that all fit together. Shells are an integral part of the body containing skin, bones, nerves, and blood vessels. Turtles lack teeth but have hard, bony jaws, and they have webbed, clawed feet that easily accommodate movement over land and through water.

^{Blanding’s turtle, Emydoidea blandingii: Lives in quiet water in marshes, wet meadow, or vegetation in lakes; Can move long distances overland and lives over 70 years in the wild; Status: State Endangered; UofI-BT; IDNR-BT}

Turtles lay their eggs in a shallow, flat-bottomed hole dug by the female and covered with soil. Eggs hatch in about two months, and hatchlings are on their own with no parental care. Most will leave the nest immediately, except for painted turtle hatchlings which remain in the nest over the first winter, emerging the following spring. As winter approaches, aquatic species will burrow in to the bottom of a pond to hibernate, while terrestrial species will dig a burrow below the frostline to spend the winter.

^{Common musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratus: Most often found basking along still, shallow waters; Releases a strong, musky odor when disturbed, earning it the nickname of stinkpot; Status: Common; UofI-CMT; IDNR-CMT}

There are many factors pressuring turtle populations in Illinois, as in the rest of the world. Natural hazards including predation, freezing, asphyxiation during hibernation, and drowning from flooding during hibernation. Illegal human activities include trapping turtles for food and the pet industry; both are serious problems in Illinois. Other turtles are lost due to habitat destruction from urban and farmland development, being killed by auto traffic, drowning after being caught on fishing hooks or nets, and being shot when used for target practice.

^{Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina: Found in the southern half of Illinois and likes berries and fungi; Hatchlings come out in September; Can live close to 100 years; Status: Common; UofI-EBT; IDNR-EBT}

For more information on turtles in Illinois, take a look at our blog pictures or the following websites. Tips for handling wild turtles in Illinois can be found at Wildlife-Illinois. An educational poster of all Illinois turtle species is available from Illinois IDNR at Wild-About-Turtles. Click on UofI-xx or IDNR-xx links with each picture to learn more.

^{Eastern mud turtle, Kinosternon subrubrum: Lives in bottomland forests along rivers and streams in the southern one-third of Illinois; Status: Common; UofI-EMT; IDNR-EMT}

^{Northern map turtle, Graptemys geographica: Prefers slow moving backwater in rivers and lakes; A shy turtle that will dive into water at the slightest provocation; Status: Common; UofI-NMT; IDNR-NMT}

^{False map turtle, Graptemys pseudogeographica: Likes slow moving water with muddy bottoms and lots of basking opportunities; A very shy turtle that will dive into the water at the first sign of disturbance; Status: Common especially along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers; UofI-FMT; IDNR-FMT}

^{Painted turtle; Chrysemys picta: Likes shallow, weedy wetlands; Often observed basking quietly in large numbers on logs along shorelines and in shallow water areas; Status: Common; UofI-PT; IDNR-PT}

^{Ouachita map turtle, Graptemys ouachitensis: Lives in}
^{rivers with sandy or gravelly bottoms; Often found in}
^{large groups basking in the sun on logs along river}
^{banks; Status: Common, especially along the Illinois}
^{and Wabash Rivers; UofI-OMT; IDNR-OMT}

^{Red-eared Slider, Trachemys scripta: Lives in quiet waters}
^{with lots of vegetation and muddy bottoms; Status: Common; UofI-ST; IDNR-ST}

^{Spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera: Lives in still waters with sand bars or mud bars; Readily bites when disturbed, delivering a painful wound from sharp-edged jaws; Status: Common; UofI-SpST; IDNR-SpST}

^{River cooter, Pseudemys concinna: Likes slow}
^{moving backwaters from large rivers and reservoirs;}
^{Status: State endangered; UofI-RCT; IDNR-RCT}

^{Smooth softshell turtle, Apalone mutica: Live in clean rivers with sandy bottoms; Their leathery skin, lacking, scutes make them appear as a flat pancake laying on the sand; Status: State threatened; UofI-SmST; IDNR-SmST}

^{Snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina: Likes any wetland; aggressive on land, but calm in the water; heavily exploited for human food; Weighs up to 85 pounds; Status: Common; UofI-SnT; IDNR-SnT}

^{Yellow mud turtle, Kinosternon flavescens: A small turtle found only along the Illinois and Mississippi river corridors; most of its habitat has been destroyed by locks and dams or agricultural conversion; Status: State endangered; UofI-YMT; IDNR-YMT}

^{Ornate box turtle, Terrapene ornata: Found
in prairies or open fields and lives up to
30 years; Status: State threatened;
UofI-OBT; IDNR-OBT}

^{Spotted turtle; Clemmys guttata: Likes shallow wetlands found in or adjacent to prairie; A small turtle found only in the northeastern corner of the state; Status: State endangered; UofI-SpT; IDNR-SpT}

To learn more about the following species or topics, click on the name to link to a previous blog:

Illinois Nature Symbols

Aquatic Insects

Rivers and streams meander, fall, swirl, pool and flow through landscapes based on how their channel has been shaped and filled. Moving water, referred to as a current, goes in different directions and speeds as it flows. Currents are slower on the water’s surface, sides, and bottom due to friction with air, soil and rock. The fastest current is just below the surface where nothing impedes its progress, and the slowest is where the water pushes in all directions due to obstacles in its path.

^{Woodland stream by John Holmes, Getty Images}

Aquatic insects living in these turbulent waters employ a variety of methods to anchor themselves in place to breathe and eat. Most aquatic insect species are in their larval stage and will leave their aquatic environment when they become adults. Some are benthic species living attached to the bottom; some are swimmers commonly found in slower moving water; some live in the swift-moving current.

^{Water Penny by Cliff White; Stonefly larva by Jim Rathert, Riffle beetle by Cliff White, all images courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation}

Most insects must be able to securely anchor themselves to breathe and eat. The water penny, a flow-adapted insect, uses its whole body, a flattened oval disc, to adhere itself to a rock using suction. With its smooth back and with no protrusions, water easily flows over and around this species. Where the current flows around rocks on the bottom, an area of quiet water forms just behind each rock. The caddisfly builds a case around itself from rocks, sticks, and mud and remains in this quieter area. Stoneflies and riffle beetles use sharp hooks at the ends of their legs to hang onto the bottom substrate even while walking about in the flowing water. Where water pools and currents slow after a sandbar, mayflies, crane flies, and midges live in burrows in the silty bottom.

^{Pseudiron mayfly by Dave Ostendorf, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

Mosquito larva courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

^{Damselfly nymph by Cliff White, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

For animals with lungs, muscles expand the lungs pulling in air where oxygen can be absorbed into the blood stream and transported to cells in the body. Insects do not have lungs but use air tubes attached to spiracles, openings on the outside of their bodies that can be opened or closed. A fine network of air tubes allow oxygen to be absorbed directly by each cell. Damselfly, mayfly, and stonefly use gills to extract oxygen from flowing water and pump it into their air tubes. Mosquitos and water scorpions use snorkeling, where a breathing tube connected to a spiracle breaks the water’s surface. Water beetle adults trap a bubble of air under their wing covers when they dive. It is held in place by hairs on their bodies and covers the spiracles located along the sides of the abdomen.

^{Caddisfly larva with pebble case by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

^{Caddisfly larva with plant fiber case by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

In addition to oxygen, water currents bring a steady supply of food downriver and carry away waste. In forested streams, vegetation and decaying animals falling into the water provide a variety of food. Midges are able to collect tiny particles of plants and animals found in slow-moving water. Some species of stonefly and caddisfly are shredders, feeding on vegetation moving past them by chewing it into small bits. Filter feeders, including black fly and riffle beetles, use nets and fans to trap particles from faster-moving currents.

^{Midge fly larva by Cliff White, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

^{Crane fly larva by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

In areas exposed to lots of sunlight, algae and aquatic insects are the main food sources. Mayfly, caddisfly, and water pennys scrape algae from rocky surfaces. Other species of stonefly and riffle beetles are predators and use their hooked feet to position themselves in steady currents where they are able to snag other species being swept along. Another predator, the alderfly, burrows its bottom into the streambed to catch prey swimming nearby. Damselfly larva may anchor themselves to the bottom or fill a bladder at their rear end with water and expel it with enough force to propel themselves through the current to snag prey.

^{Alderfly larva courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation}

Whether the current is fast or slow, flowing through clear areas or obstacles, streams provide insects with numerous places to live. On you next walk along a waterway, consider all that is happening just below the surface.

Flamingos

The greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, with its long neck and legs, hooked downward bill, and bright pink plumage can be found on five of the seven continents, not including Australia or Antarctica. Only one of the six species is native to the continental U.S., the American greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, and its native range encompasses only the far southern portions of Florida. Three additional species are found in the Caribbean and northeastern and southwestern portions of South America, plus two species are native to coastal areas of Europe, Africa , and Asia.

Flamingos are found in all types of shallow water habitats. They forage in both saltwater lakes and coastal lagoons, in addition to freshwater wetlands, ponds, and mudflats. They are able to eat prey found in very alkaline waters that most other avian species cannot tolerate. Feral birds, ones that have escaped captivity and are now breeding in the wild, from the other three species found in North and South America have formed several colonies along the southeastern coast of the U.S.

The name flamingo comes from a Spanish word meaning flame, bright and red in color. Immature birds are gray or brown. They absorb carotene, a reddish-yellow pigment, from their food, which slowly changes their plumage to light pink, deepening to darker shades including reds and oranges. It takes about three years until a bird attains the bright pink adult plumage everywhere except their flight feathers which are jet black and can be seen only when their wings are extended.

^{Greater Flamingo chick in water by JHVEPhoto, Getty Images}

Flamingos have the longest neck and legs of any native bird in the U.S. Wingspans on full-grown adults may reach five feet. Flying in a V-formation, flocks move quickly, with necks extended, taking short, strong wingbeats. Flamingos call is a strong honking, sometimes hard to distinguish from geese, to maintain the group’s cohesion in flight. Webbed feet provide stability on soft sand, mudflats, and in shallow waters along lake bottoms. Flamingos are excellent swimmers, and they use their webbed feet to stabilize their bodies in the water when reaching downward for food growing in deeper lakes and ponds.

^{Flamingo head, by XavierMarchant, Getty Images}

A flamingo’s bill is sharply angled downward in the middle. On most birds, the upper bill is part of the bones of the head, heavier and immovable. On flamingos, this is reversed and the upper bill can be used as a flap against a heavy lower bill. When feeding, the bird lowers its head, turning the bill upside down, sweeping it from side to side through the water. A central groove in the lower bill contains space for a fat tongue, used to push and pull higher volumes of water through the bill. The edges of the bill are lined with rows of horny plates called lamellae that strain out crustaceans, mollusks, and small insects. Flamingos are typically night feeders, resting during the day.

Flamingos roost in single species colonies. They will only breed if they are part of a large group, and breeding occurs for all at the same time. Nest mounds are volcano-shaped, arranged close by one another on a mudflat. Each breeding pair of birds lays only one egg on top of its mound. Parents take turns incubating the egg while the other is foraging. Chicks stay with the parents for four to six weeks after hatching, until they are able to feed themselves. Still unable to forage and in need of protection, all of the chicks in larger colonies may form one group called a creche. The group can be guarded by only a few adults, giving the rest of the colony the opportunity to forage for themselves and bring back food for the creche.

^{Nesting Rose Flamingo with egg in nest, by Artush, Getty Images}

^{Chick and mother, by tane-mahuta, Getty Images}

Toward the end of the 1800s, feather collecting for the millinery markets adversely impacted many bird populations. However, this did not include flamingos because their feathers quickly lose the pink color once they are removed from the bird. Today, flamingo populations around the world are shrinking due to habitat loss. Much of their native habitat is wetland coastal areas being developed. In addition, flamingos do not have the capacity to switch diets, and as more wetlands are drained or polluted, food sources are continually disappearing.

Look for these magnificent birds at your local zoo, or consider a trip to see them in many of the nature areas in southern Florida.