Distribution and Habitat
The bog turtle is native only to the eastern United States, congregating in colonies that often consist of fewer than 20 individuals. They prefer calcareous wetlands (areas containing lime), including meadows, bogs, marshes, and spring seeps, that have both wet and dry regions. Their habitat is often on the edge of woods. Bog turtles have sometimes been seen in cow pastures and near beaver dams.
The bog turtle's preferred habitat, sometimes called a fen, is slightly acidic with continual wetness. The constant saturation leads to the depletion of oxygen, subsequently resulting in anaerobic conditions. The bog turtle uses soft, deep mud to shelter from predators and the weather. Spring seeps and groundwater springs provide optimum locations for hibernation during winter. Home range size is gender dependent, averaging about 0.17 to 1.33 hectares (0.42 to 3.3 acres) for males and 0.065 to 1.26 hectares (0.16 to 3.1 acres) for females. However, research has shown that densities can range from 5 to 125 individuals per 0.81 hectares (2.0 acres). The range of the bog turtle extensively overlaps that of its relative, the wood turtle.
Rushes, tussock sedge, cattails, jewelweed, sphagnum, and various native true grasses are found in the bog turtle's habitat, as well as some shrubs and trees such as willows, red maples, and alders. It is important for their habitat to have an open canopy, because bog turtles spend a considerable amount of time basking in the sunlight. An open canopy allows sufficient sunlight to reach the ground so that the bog turtles can manage their metabolic processes through thermoregulation. The incubation of eggs also requires levels of sunlight and humidity that shaded areas typically lack. The ideal bog turtle habitat is early successional. Late successional habitats contain taller trees that block the necessary sunlight. Erosion and runoff of nutrients into the wetlands accelerate succession. Changes caused by humans have begun to eliminate bog turtles from areas where they would normally survive.
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