Glyptemys muhlenbergii
Bog Turtle

    • Habitat:
      Stream-, spring-, and seep-fed fens, sedge meadows, sphagnum bogs, marshes, and open shrubby swamps
    • Threats:
      - Habitat destruction, alteration, and fragmentation
      - Invasive and successional wetland plant species proliferation
      - Illegal collection for the pet trade
      - Increased mesopredator population levels
    • Conservation Efforts:
      - Protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
      - Population surveys, monitoring, and augmentation
      - Habitat restoration and management
      - CITES Appendix I
    • Wild Population:
      - Decreasing
      - Estimated population reduction greater than 90%
      - Populations highly fragmented
    • Endangered Status:
      Critically Endangered

Fast Facts

The species is endemic to the eastern United States and is quickly recognized by the distinctive yellow, orange, pink, or red patches.

 

It is well adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle in shallow wetlands, where its low profile facilitates movement through dense vegetation.

Species Snapshot

The Bog Turtle is native to the Eastern United States, ranging from northeast Georgia to Massachusetts and western New York. The species lives in two disjunct management units, northern and southern, separated by ~270 miles (436 km). Although called the Bog Turtle, the species lives in stream-, spring-, and seep-fed fens, sedge meadows, sphagnum bogs, marshes, and open shrubby swamps. All of these habitats are highly imperiled, fragmented, and commonly isolated, as are their resident turtles—so much so that the Bog Turtle is considered Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.