WORLD TURTLE DAY. We are finding many are going extinct and...

[The Librarian]

WORLD TURTLE DAY. We are finding many are going extinct and fast. The spotted turtle the only extant species of Clemmys, is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in)[3]upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace, ranges in its exact colour from black to a bluish black with a number of yellow tiny round spots. The spotting patterning extends from the head, to the neck and out onto the limbs. Males and females can be distinguished by differences in plastron shape and eye and chin colouration. Diet consists of snails, worms, slugs, and spiders. Daylight hours are spent eating and basking in the sun. In the evening, spotted turtles submerge and spend the night on the pond bottom. AWSOME FACT⭐️When females are nesting They begin digging in the evening. The female digs the nest, measuring 2 inches deep and 2 inches in diameter, with her hind legs and feet. She rests when the cavity is complete, then begins to lay the eggs. Only 3-4 eggs are laid. The female then covers the eggs, as most turtles do, BUT!!! They go one step further in disguising the nest. She smooths the dirt by dragging her body over the ground. Species endangered.

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