Five Magnificent Turtles That Need Your Help

Five magnificent turtles found in Canada

1. Painted turtles

Range: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec

Painted turtles are well-known across their wide ranges by their vibrant shell markings. They can be spotted in quiet waters basking on logs, rocks or other sunlit areas which helps regulate their body temperatures. Painted turtles thrive in slow-moving freshwater habitats like shallow ponds, lakes and marshes.

2. Northern map turtles

Range: Ontario, Quebec

Northern map turtles have yellow, lined patterns on their shells, which fade as they age. Females are significantly larger than males, and their sex is determined by the temperatures in the nest. They are highly aquatic, preferring shallow habitats in summer and deeper habitats for winter hibernation which lasts about half the year.

3. Snapping turtles

Range: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan

The largest freshwater turtle in Canada, snapping turtles are distinctive with their dark shells and long claws, necks and tails. They are more vulnerable—and thus more wary—on land than water, and should be treated with caution due to their powerful jaws. They look tough but the deaths of these turtles on roads and roadsides, and via widespread illegal poaching add up to be big trouble for the future of “snappers”.

4. Leatherback sea turtles

Range: Atlantic Ocean, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Pacific Ocean

Large leatherback sea turtles have been around since the era of dinosaurs—but today, they are endangered around the world. The adults in the Atlantic Canada population weigh an average of 400 kilograms (nearly 900 pounds) and each has a distinct, light patch on their head, believed to help trigger migration by detecting changes in daylight. They range widely, migrating long distances, and return annually to Canada’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

5. Wood turtles

Range: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec

These unassuming brown turtles are scattered across eastern North America. Less aquatic than many species, wood turtles are found in close proximity to slow-moving rivers and streams. They tend to hunt for food nearby in forests, ponds and wetlands. Road deaths are a significant concern for adult and hatchling wood turtles when they attempt to nest on gravel shoulders—sometimes along busy highways.

Source: Species at Risk Public Registry

Canada’s Species at Risk Act establishes the official list of wildlife species at risk and classifies those species, from greater to lesser urgency, as being either extirpated (worst case scenario: extinct in their population region), endangered, threatened or a special concern.

How you can help turtles

• Support and join conservation projects that benefit wetland habitats.
• Be vigilant when driving in spring and early summer nesting season.
• Slow down when boating near wetlands and shorelines.
• Report sightings of invasive species.
• Follow wash-drain-dry guidelines for watercraft.
• Report collection of wild turtles and their eggs—it is illegal in most of Canada.

If you find an injured turtle, notify a wildlife rehabilitation centre.