If you’ve ever walked past a calm BC wetland and spotted a row of tiny, striped heads catching sun rays on a log, you may have met a local icon: the Western Painted Turtle.
These turtles have been around for 15 million years, but their population decline reminds us why our local waterways need defending.
Photo credit: Ben Keen, iNaturalist,
From "breathing" through their rear ends to having their gender decided by a thermometer, these turtles are a lot more exciting than their slow-moving reputation suggests.
Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about Western Painted Turtles
1. They are BC’s only freshwater turtle
While you might see other turtles in city parks, those are usually "Red-eared Sliders" (see picture below), commonly pets that people left behind. The Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) is the only native freshwater turtle in BC. They are the true locals of our ponds and lakes, spending their days like tiny, striped sunbathers on half-submerged logs.
A red-eared slider. Photo credit: Jim the Photographer, via Flickr, Creative Commons
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2. They are in it for the long haul
In a world of live fast, die young, the Western Painted Turtle plays the long game. If they can survive their high-risk childhood – where everyone from crows to raccoons wants a piece of them – they can live for 50 years or more. A turtle you see today may have grown up during the golden era of disco-funk.
3. Male or Female? Nature’s thermostat decides.
For these turtles, gender is decided by the temperature of the sand they are buried in. Warmer nests produce females, while cooler nests produce males. It’s a delicate biological tightrope; even a small shift in local temperatures due to climate change or habitat loss can completely tip the scale of their population.
4. Hibernate > migrate
When BC’s ponds freeze over, these turtles don't head south. They sink to the bottom and stay there all winter. They slow their heartbeat to almost nothing and stop breathing through their lungs. Instead, they absorb oxygen from the water through their skin and—believe it or not—their throat and cloacal linings (yes, they basically breathe through their butts). It’s a survival superpower that allows them to “hold their breath” for months.
Image credit: Colin Durfee via Flickr, Creative Commons
5. They are making a comeback (with our help)
Our colourful friends have had a rough go in recent years. Between car collisions, habitat loss, and invasive species, they are listed as a species at risk. The good news? Communities are supporting their comeback. In the Okanagan and the South Coast, volunteers are building turtle beaches for nesting and protecting hatchlings from traffic. We are seeing more successful nesting seasons because communities decided that their habitats were worth defending and restoring.
Image credit: Mike Leon
