Size records and demographics of an Eastern Painted Turtle (<i>Chrysemys picta picta</i>) urban population near the northern limit of the species’ range in eastern Canada

Abstract

Understanding variation in demographics and life history across species ranges and differing landcover types is valuable for conservation planning. We examined the population demographics of a small urban population of Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) in New Brunswick, Canada, near the northern limit of the species’ range. We captured turtles using hoop traps and by hand during four sampling periods. We estimated that our population included 17 females, nine males, and 29 juveniles in late summer 2015 using Jolly-Seber population size estimates. We captured several very large females at our study site; 5/17 females (29%) were larger than previous size records for the subspecies. Growth rates for juveniles were greater than most populations of Eastern Painted Turtles reported elsewhere. Growth rates at our site were significantly greater for smaller (younger) turtles and for females compared to males. Overwinter survivorship estimates were 100% from late summer 2014 to spring 2015. Active season (2015) survivorship was 100% for females, 89% for males, and 93% for juveniles. We speculate that the large body sizes found at our study site were achieved through high survivorship and larger growth rates compared to other areas reported previously. Our data supports previous findings that body size of Painted Turtles increases with latitude, and additionally, growth may have been enhanced by increased nutrient levels common in human-modified landscapes.