A Blind Turtle?!?

The herpetology department at the Virginia Living Museum gets all kinds of calls with questions about animals.  Usually we can quickly help the person by identifying animals, explaining behaviors, or calming fears and discomforts.  Occasionally, however, the answer to their question isn't so simple.  A couple of weeks ago a guest came in with what she called a "turtle with no eyes."   What arrived at the museum was a hatchling mud turtle that indeed appeared to have a developmental problem with its eyes.   The turtle is tiny, so we were not able to properly assess the turtle's condition ourselves.  A trip to a specialist vet in animal eye care confirmed, this turtle indeed has no eyes, and the doctor explained he would probably never develop them.  A blind turtle would have very little chance of survival in the wild, so he has become part of the VLM family, where we take care of him with his unique needs in mind.  We make sure to provide him with food that moves (like tiny crickets and worms) so he can feel them, which he responds to quite well.  This little turtle has certainly become a celebrity quickly around the staff at the VLM.  His blindness actually makes him quite bold (another thing that would hurt his chances in the wild.)  Since he can't see us he is not threatened by us like a normal wild turtle would be, so he spends a lot of time with his head out of his shell.   What a feisty little guy!

Thanks to Karl Rebenstorf for the photo!

Lunch Time Trail Walk

Today we took a walk on the trail during lunch time.  It was a beautiful, sunny 77 degrees, so we knew there would be herps out.  Unfortunately, our search didn't turn up any snakes this time, but we did see a few cold blooded creatures.

Several pond turtles bask in a row.



A yellow-bellied slider soaks up some sun. (Distinguished by the yellow
tear drop shaped markings on the sides of the face.)

 

A beautiful painted turtle chooses to bask on land rather than a log. (Notice the two
yellow dots on the head and the red stripe on the neck.)



Red-bellied cooter found a sunny spot too! (Note the reddish color of
the plastron.)



 

American Bullfrogs are out in full force!


Keep an eye out for our warm weather loving friends!


Thanks for reading!!!

Wandering Wildlife

It's that time of year again! The herps are out!

A coworker recently spent 3 hours in a nearby park and saw 7 turtles and 34 snakes!

The weather is warming up and the reptiles and amphibians are emerging.  This means we will start to experience more and more interaction with them.  Every year, especially during the summer the VLM receives many walk-ins with animals.  It is natural to see a reptile in your yard or on the road and think to bring it to the VLM.  However, we are not a rehabilitation facility and therefore simply don't have the space and resources to care for the wildlife of Hampton Roads.  So, we ask that you try a few other options before considering the VLM. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. If it isn't obviously injured it's most likely fine.  Reptiles are incredibly hardy and can heal very easily on their own.  If an animal seems sluggish it is likely just cold and seeking a place to bask.
2. Babies (especially turtles) do best if left alone.  It is easy to think you are doing a turtle a favor by bringing it in as a pet when it is very young, to help it survive.  However, turtles need to learn their habitat when they are young in order to be able to find food and water throughout their lives, so it's very important that they spend their first few years in their natural habitat, they do not survive well if kept as pets and then released.  Box Turtles sometimes live even longer than humans do, so taking on a pet box turtle is a commitment your grandchildren will likely end up with.
3. Injured wildlife should be taken to a vet or licenced rehabilitator.  The following resources may help you:
• vareptilerescue.org
• Wildlife Response, Inc  (757) 543-7000
• Licensed Rehabilitators: www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/injured/rehabilitators.asp

Occasionally a situation presents itself in which none of these options apply.  In these rare circumstances we do what we can for the animals brought to us.

A group of hibernating Rough Earthsnakes was mistakenly dug up in a garden in the late winter this year and the individual knew the snakes would not likely survive if released in the below freezing weather.  The snakes were brought to the VLM, treated for superficial injuries and released when the weather warmed up this past week.


Bundle of very cold Rough Earthsnakes





Here is one of the largest individuals, for a size reference



Released back into the wild!




In general, we encourage members and guests to enjoy wildlife at a distance.  Reptiles are often the hardest animals to obey this rule with, but it remains very important.  Admire with the eyes only, not the hands, and appreciate and respect these incredible animals for what they are: wild.

Thanks for reading!

How Much Does He Weigh?

Almost every day I am asked by a visitor "how big is that animal?" or "how much does he weigh?" Usually my answer is an estimate.  I don't know off the top of my head because we have a LOT of animals to look after.  However, the exact number is something I could look up.  That's because we weigh every single one of our reptiles and amphibians at least once a month.  This is quite the undertaking since we have almost 90 reptiles and nearly 80 amphibians in our collection! 

Keeping track of each animal's weight is very important.  It allows us to make sure that those who are young and should be growing are gaining weight, those who are overweight and should be losing weight are losing weight and full grown adults are maintaining a stable weight.  Data obtained through weighing each animal is used to adjust diets as well as prescribe the proper amount of medication for any animal that may need it.  Weights also allow us to get a good close look at each of our animals.  Since many of our exhibits are stable little ecosystems the animals do not need to be removed frequently.  In fact, we try to limit handling of exhibit animals to only during weighing to limit the stress to the animals as much as possible.  As long as an individual eats normally, behaves normally and looks normal we only remove them from the exhibit for weights. 

     

Keepers keep track of each animal's weight in a notebook.  After they are recorded on paper they are entered into a computer data system and the original sheets are filed.







Here is our greater siren on the scale.



Exhibit eastern hellbender ready to be weighed.

Some of our amphibians, such as the eastern hellbender, left, have gills and must remain in the water in order to breathe.  For these species we fill a bin or bucket with some water from their exhibit and take the weight of the water without the animal first.  We then "tare" or zero the scale to erase the weight of the water.  That way when we weigh the same bucket of water with the animal in it we get only the weight of the animal displayed on the scale.

Every animal is weighed in its own clean container to protect our collection from the possible spread of parasites or diseases.

Left, a slimy salamander weighs in at 9.1 grams.  Below, a cave salamander is weighed.  These two salamanders live together in an exhibit with others of the same species.  In cases like these we must find ways to identify each individual.

Our glass lizard (a type of lizard that has no legs) sits in his container on the scale.  Many people mistake this animal for a snake, but look closely on your next visit to the museum and you will notice he has external ear openings and eyelids, both traits that snakes lack.

Thanks for reading! 

Creating Animal Paintings

For this year's Reptile Weekend at the Virginia Living Museum, we created reptile art to sell as a fundraiser.  Our snakes, turtles and lizards painted some beautiful creations for our guests to take home.  Of course, safe, non-toxic paints were used and each animal made only a few paintings in order to protect them from any unnecessary stress. Each piece of paper was placed in a shallow bin along with some drops of paint and the reptiles took care of the rest, slithering, sliding or walking to create the paintings.

Below are a few of my personal favorites, created by a milksnake, a hognose snake and a blue tongue skink:

 

Western Hognose H586 says thanks for all your support!

Eastern Newts in Love

Jenny Curtis, an aquarist at the VLM, caught this photo this morning of a very special moment between two of our exhibit eastern newts.

These newts are mating.  The male holds onto the female with his back legs around her neck and waves his tail in her face.  Not the most subtle way of seducing a female but it seems to have worked fine for her.  We'll be keeping an eye out for further reproductive activity, perhaps we will have a new generation this spring!

 Happy Valentine's Day!

In Your Backyard: Pond Turtles

Aquatic turtles of various species are very common in the Hampton Roads area as well as throughout Virginia.  These species are often overlooked because of their abundance but a closer look into these turtles reveals some interesting stories.  Perhaps after reading this post you will give a second look to that row of turtles on a log.

There are a few species of sliders or pond turtles that live in Virginia.  This post will focus on the three species most often observed in the lake behind the Virginia Living Museum.



Eastern Painted Turtles are the smallest of the pond turtles and are easily distinguished by their smooth shiny carapace (top shell) and the scutes (sections on the carapace) are separated by lighter lines. 








Here, educators at the VLM help students mark the turtle for a study on the turtle population in our lake

The Red-bellied Turtle (or Red-bellied Cooter) is a fairly common species also.  Large females are often seen crossing roads looking for a place to lay their eggs.                  

Red-bellied turtles have yellow head striping that goes from the front of the face back and have a serrated beak (unlike other pond turtles).

Red-bellied turtles also have, as their name indicates, red coloration on their plastrons.  This red coloration is sometimes faded, especially in older individuals

Yellow-bellied sliders have a much yellower plastron and thicker facial striping that forms a C shape around the back of the eye.  Again, these markings may be somewhat faded in older individuals.

The third, and unfortunately most common species seen in our lake at the VLM is the Red-eared Slider.  This species is a close relative of the yellow-bellied slider. They tend to have lighter and more colorful carapaces (the top shell) and have a distinct red marking behind the eye.  This species is not native to Virginia, but are numerous in almost every body of water in the area because they are very popular pets.  Unfortunately, often well meaning individuals release their pet turtles when they are no longer wanted.  Red-eared sliders are incredibly invasive and have established populations on almost every continent.  This is very dangerous for native populations of turtles.  In this case, for example, the red-eared slider is a much better competitor than the yellow-bellied slider and populations of red-eared sliders consume food and other resources that should be available for the native species of turtles.  Since red-eared sliders are closely related to yellow-bellied sliders they are able to mate with either species.  This produces mixed individuals that further alter the make up of the native population. 

Next time you visit the trail at the VLM on a warm sunny day perhaps you will recognize some of those turtles lined up on a log soaking in the sun.

Thanks for reading!