Blandings Turtle Nature Canada
The turtle that loves to smile and can walk for a while! This turtle’s travels can take it across roads—putting it in danger of being hit by vehicles. Save endangered species today by joining one of our campaigns! Help End the Extinction
The bright yellow throat and pointed facial features of the Blanding’s Turtle give it an unmistakable look among Canada’s rivers, lakes and ponds. The carapace (top shell) is dark brown or black with yellow spots. The plastron (bottom shell) is bright yellow.
The Blanding’s Turtle’s biggest threat is increased road and rail development. The extra traffic leads to higher chances that turtles will be hit by vehicles. This can cause severe injury, death, or destruction of nests near the road. Another threat is habitat loss caused by development done on or changes made to wetlands.
Human interference has a direct impact on the Blanding’s Turtle—individuals are collected in the wild for the pet trade.
The Blanding’s Turtle is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act. There is also a recovery strategy that aims to sustain current populations.
Since there are still many unknowns about this species, more research needs to be done to find ways to help this species. The Ontario Multi-species Turtle at Risk Recovery Team is assessing threats to Blanding’s Turtle, and the Toronto Zoo is performing surveys to estimate population sizes and identify habitats.
Canada has committed to the goal of protecting 30% of lands, ocean, and freshwater in Canada by 2030. This goal will help protect ecosystems, restore habitats, and fight climate change. All these things are a step in protecting Canada’s at-risk animals—so let’s hold the federal government to their promise.
Hello nature life wilderness is the world’s envy. It’s our duty to keep our true north strong and green.
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