Inches below the water a brown shadow heads towards Imagine. A square brown head pops up several feet from the boat as a medium sized green turtle surfaces for air. I move and suddenly the startled reptile uses its strong flippers to propel down and away from an unexpected encounter with human beings.I soon learn that several sea turtles, ranging from plate size to nearly two feet across, were hanging out in a protected cove not far from where we anchored.
The next morning I hoist the kayak over the lifelines and paddle the short distance to the cove. A school of red snapper and a large ray dart inches under the surface as I quietly glide over clear blue waters.
Suddenly a small sea turtle appears two feet away from my drifting kayak. It dives, resurfaces and moves away. I dip the paddle to follow the small turtle when a splash catches my eye. A larger turtle moves in the opposite direction. I spot three turtles that day. These aquatic reptiles have beaten the odds.
The odds against a sea, or other turtle, making it to adulthood are slim. Biologists report, that only tiny fractions, up to 1 percent, of young turtles reach adulthood. From the time a female turtle begins the journey to lay a clutch of eggs the fight for life begins. Sea turtles make a perilous journey back to the site where they were born. After eluding sharks, poachers, boat propellers, shoreline development, and ingestion of plastic on the long journey a female can leave a clutch of 100 eggs or more buried deep in the sand.
Eggs that haven’t been dug up by other turtle seeking nests, eaten by snakes, fire ants, or disturbed by humans will hatch after 55-80 days. The baby turtles begin a perilous race to the water as they attempt to outrun hungry raccoons, ghost crabs, seagulls, and other predators. All seven species of sea turtle, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley, are endangered or threatened.
I’ve always been a turtle advocate. I brake for turtles. Once on Route 45 in Mannington Township I stopped my car as another parked on the shoulder across the highway. Simultaneously we emerged from our cars to retrieve a painted turtle from the road. It was no other than B. Harold Smick, Jr. Pam Williams, Michele Burke and so many others I know also stop for turtles.
The many ribbons of marshes, creeks, lakes and ponds that decorate Salem County provide a natural habitat for water turtles such as the Painted, Red Bellied and Snapping. The Eastern Box Turtle thrives in wooded and wetland areas. As temperatures rise, these turtles make their way across the roadways to find soft soil to lay their eggs; too often losing the race with the cars.
Over the years, my kids had temporary turtle pets. Mrs. Crosson and Scooby Doo spent the summer with us after being rescued from a nearby roadway. The box turtles ate well that summer feeding on berries, slugs and worms offered by my daughters. By fall the turtles were released to return to their natural habitat.
An Eastern Box turtle with a cracked shell lived under an azalea bush in the back yard for three years. In the morning my son would coax it out with treats of blueberries and strawberries. At dusk it rested in a shallow bed of moist soil and leaves.
A female box turtle digs a shallow nest in loose soil and lays three to eight eggs. Females may lay several clutches of eggs per year. Eggs are incubated for 75 to 90 days. The warmer the temperatures, the quicker eggs hatch. Box turtles can live to 30 to 40 years. Some have been reported to reach 100 years old.
The Eastern Painted Turtle and Red Bellied Turtle are colorful. Identification can be confusing. The Red Bellied Turtle is much larger and does not have yellow stripes on its legs and tail. After mating in late spring and early summer, females dig a nest on the land. In about 10 weeks the eggs hatch and the baby painted turtles dig their way to the surface. Painted and Red Bellied turtles can live up to 30 years.
My sister Linda Dolbow of Pilesgrove works hard in her garden. She and her husband, Donny, recently watched as a red-bellied turtle left a clutch of eggs in their garden. She’s excited about her new crop. “This year I’m growing turtles.” How many can say that?
A Route 49 road warrior is the Common Snapping Turtle. As a child my grandmother warned me, “If they bite you, they won’t let go until the sun goes down.” Homemade snapper soup was one family member’s specialty. A muddy looking knobby shell and long tail easily identifies snapping turtles.
Snapping turtles are not picky eaters. In the wild they eat just about everything they can catch, including fish, frogs, crabs, snails, insects, carrion, vegetable matter, baby ducks and other turtles. Females can travel as far as two miles to lay twenty to forty eggs. Eggs hatch on an average of 80 days. Snapping Turtles can live to be 30 to 40 years old. This turtle can grow quite large, up to 60 pounds.
Take extra care when handling snappers. This turtle can stretch its neck straight out, to the sides and two thirds back. Despite their reputation of being aggressive, snapping turtles usually avoid confrontation while in the water. On land they can strike quickly if disturbed.
