SGA Valentine's Day - Donut Stress | pixabay.com
SGA Valentine's Day - Donut Stress | pixabay.com
Showing our love this #ValentinesDay to New Jersey native, the bog turtle!
As their name suggests, these palm-sized turtles can be found in wetlands and marshes. Here, they spend most of their time hidden in the soft, cool muck to escape hot summer days and stay safe from predators. In the spring, the bog turtle can be seen basking in the sunlight on hummocks, matted vegetation, or in open mucky pools and streams.
Once abundant throughout the state, bog turtles now primarily occupy rural areas of Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Salem counties due to intense land use, such as urbanization and industrial farming. Nevertheless, these turtles are thriving where they do reside. As of 2001, New Jersey was home to 168 known bog turtle populations, making us one of the strongholds in their range.
Learn more about the bog turtle and our conservation efforts at https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/conservation/bog-turtle-project/
Original source can be found here.
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