Our Resident Wood Turtles

Woody

Brought to Sharon Audubon Center: Summer 1986

History: Woody arrived at the Sharon Audubon Center after being injured by an automobile.  She now lives with another Wood Turtle.  Woody is an excellent climber and swimmer and can many times be found asleep on the top rocks of the waterfall in her exhibit.  A Wood Turtle can live up to 60 years in captivity.

Stumpy

Photo Coming Soon!

Brought to Sharon Audubon Center: Early 1990’s

History: Stumpy was found near a pond with an injured front right foot. The foot was treated, but it continued to hinder his climbing and walking abilities.  Stumpy spends most of his time lying in the water blending in with the rocks in his tank.  He is a hit among children when he is brought out for a reptile or animal menagerie program.

Wood Turtles

(Clemmys insculpta)

Description:  8-10 inches long, brown carapace (upper shell) and yellow plastron (bottom shell).  The skin of the neck and around the upper part of the legs is orange.  Males have a longer, thicker head and tail.

Range:  Widely distributed in Eastern North America.  Listed as a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut.

Habitat:  These turtles spend time on both land and in the water. They require wetland habitat near floodplains, woodlands or meadows.

Diet:  Omnivorous, meaning they eat a variety of plants and animals from algae, moss, grasses, willow leaves, strawberries and raspberries, to insects, mollusks, earthworms, tadpoles and other carrion.

Breeding:  Mate in the water and female lays a small number of eggs on land.  It takes approximately 14 years for a wood turtle to mature to breeding age.

Hibernation:  In winter, wood turtles hibernate in deep pools or the undercut banks of streams, often in groups.  Come out in late March/early April and move to nearby fields and woodlands.