Emydoidea – Blanding’s turtle

Its bright yellow throat and the natural curve of its mouth give it a permanent, cheerful grin that instantly sets it apart from other turtles. Native to the Great Lakes region and parts of the northeastern United States and southern Canada, this medium-sized turtle thrives in clean, shallow wetlands such as ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams. Its smooth, domed shell is dark with yellow speckles, resembling a starry night sky, while its plastron (bottom shell) is pale yellow with dark patches along the edges.

Unlike many turtles that rarely travel far from water, Blanding’s turtles are quite adventurous — they frequently move across land between wetlands, especially during the nesting season. Females may travel more than a mile to find the perfect spot to lay their eggs, often choosing sandy or gravelly soil. They’re mostly aquatic but spend plenty of time basking on logs or grassy banks, soaking up the sun to regulate their body temperature. Their diet is just as varied as their lifestyle: they eat insects, fish, frogs, snails, and even plants, making them opportunistic feeders that play an important role in keeping wetland ecosystems balanced.

The Blanding’s turtle is sometimes called the “turtle of two worlds” because it’s comfortable both in water and on land — a rare trait among freshwater turtles. They’re also excellent navigators, capable of remembering and returning to the same wetlands or nesting spots year after year, even after long migrations. Their yellow chin isn’t just for looks; it may help them blend into the dappled light of shallow, weedy ponds. In winter, they hibernate under water, burying themselves in mud where oxygen levels are low — yet they survive by absorbing small amounts of oxygen directly through their skin and throat lining.