The Western Pond Turtle

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The Western Pond Turtle Clemmys marmorata The Western Pond Turtle, Clemmys marmorata, is one of the endangered species that originated in ponds. As you can see in Figure 1, the color of the Clemmys marmorata ranges from a dark brown color to and olive tone. Another distinguishing feature is the flecks on its body and a low carapace, the top portion of the shell that covers the turtle. A way to tell the difference between a male and a female Clemmys marmorata is to look at the length of the tail of it and look at the color of the throat since the tail of males are typically longer than the females and the color of the throat is lighter. Also, the males’ plastron, the area of shell that covers the bottom of the turtle, is concave rather than when they are between the ages of 10 and 15. Their mating season is in late spring and in may through July, the nesting season occurs. Females lay about 6 eggs into fertile soil. The nesting ground is usually at least 100 meters from the water. The newborn Clemmys marmorata , shown in Figure 2 are tiny, just 1 to 1.2 inches long. The average lifespan is around 40 years but some have lived to the age of 70. In the adult stages, they can grow up to 7.5 inches which is shown in Figure 3. The exact population of the Clemmys marmorata is not known but it is known that at least 450 of Clemmys marmorata exist in the US currently. Over the years, the population of Clemmys marmorata has decreased significantly and conservation efforts are being made to help this species. . Shown in Figure 4 are some areas where the Clemmys marmorata have been seen. Other major areas include places in Oregon, Washington DC, and California. Corsi, Buff, Corsi Gerald. “Clemmys marmorata; Western Pond Turtle” 1999. California Academy of Science. 20 December 2008. <http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_

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