The Muhlenberg Bog Turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii) finally has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It's about time! It has only been what, at least 20 years, maybe 30 or 35 that people have been saying they're a threatened species?
The bog turtle, for those of you who (1) missed a recent news article on it being listed as a threatened species, (2) don't live where bog turtles live, (3) live where the turtles live and didn't know they were there, or (4) the same as #3 but also don't give a damn, live in restricted parts of northeastern states including Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland. The FWS protection is extended to the northern range turtles, which have declined by an estimated 50 percent within the past 20 years. At least one habitat in western Pennsylvania appears to have been extinct for more than 50 years. Turtles in southeastern states from southern Virginia to northern Georgia aren't afforded protection by this recent listing.
According to the FWS, northeastern populations are restricted to fewer than 200 sites and only 35 to 176 (quite a spread) of the sites that have been studied "may be capable of supporting healthy bog turtle populations" without protection.
Bog turtles are threatened for several reasons. One is because of where they live — in small isolated swamps. Quarter acre. Half acre. A couple of acres. One bog turtle site I looked at was adjacent to a farmer's cow pasture. Another site was part of an industrial site. Another was part of a county park. Because these habitats are wetlands, often small and seemingly inconsequential, they are threatened by development (roads, buildings), cows and sheep, and sometimes pollution. At least several state laws and some federal laws have had some impact on halting degradation of wetlands. But, because bog turtle habitats can be rather small, some sites could easily be overrun before anyone knew the damage had been done. Identifying the sites and monitoring their protection is important but the FWS isn't about to publish a list of where the sites are. This will help protect the habitats, as will attempts to work with private landowners to protect them.
While habitat destruction is a primary threat to bog turtles, collection for the pet trade is another important threat. According to an Associated Press article by Anick Jesdanun, bog turtles sell for $250 to $450 each in the United States. In one case, $2,000 a pair was paid in Japan, according to Jesdanun. Bog turtles are prized because of their distinctive coloration — a red to orange slash (sometimes yellowish) on either side of the face behind the eyes. FWS says that adult bog turtles are from three to four and a half inches long and Pritchard's Encyclopedia of Turtles says this "may be the smallest species of turtle in the world." I could swear I've seen them as long as five inches but I can't put my hands on my diary that contains the measurements.
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