The Ecology of the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia

Abstract

Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle) is listed as imperiled in West Virginia and designated as endangered under the IUCN Red List. We studied a population of Wood Turtles in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia from May 2010 to July 2011. We captured 25 turtles at 2 sites: 12 males, 9 females, 3 juveniles, and 1 hatchling. We fitted 10 adults with radio transmitters, 9 of which also received temperature-data loggers. Our 249 total observations include the 10 initial captures of the equipped turtles with 218 subsequent radio locations, and 15 unequipped turtles that were captured, and then recaptured 6 times. Morphometrics of Wood Turtles at the study location were similar to those reported for another West Virginia population. The home range for both males and females was approximately 6 ha; there were no significant intersexual differences. Turtles entered hibernacula in late October when temperatures were approximately 10 °C and remained inactive until mid-March when temperatures were approximately 5 °C. Our study provides a baseline assessment of the Wood Turtle in an unstudied upper-elevation Eastern Panhandle location.