Blanding’s Turtles

Your Gift in Action

Your gift will conserve critical habitats and ensure a future for species at risk. It will also build healthier, more resilient ecosystems that provide essential benefits and services to people and their communities, while countering the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares, coast to coast to coast. But we must do more faster and accelerate the pace of conservation. Every gift and donation counts.

Blanding’s Turtles

Blanding’s turtles have one of the smallest ranges of any turtle in North America. In Canada, these turtles with their bright yellow chins and throats, and large, high-domed black shells resembling army helmets, are found only in southern Ontario and parts of Nova Scotia and southwestern Quebec.

Their preferred habitats are lakes, beaver ponds and wetlands with shallow water and mucky bottoms that are rich in aquatic vegetation and organic matter. Nesting habitats include sand beaches, muskrat lodges, soil-filled crevices in rock outcrops, gravel pits and, unfortunately, the shoulders of roads. Females will sometimes walk more than 10 kilometres to find a suitable place to nest.

The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence and Nova Scotia populations have been assessed as endangered in Canada and globally. Blanding’s turtles are exceptionally long-lived and late-maturing; they become adults between 14 and 25 years of age and can continue to reproduce successfully until they’re 75 years old or older.

Primary threats to Blanding’s turtles are habitat loss, invasive species, road mortality and illegal collection for the pet trade. With this symbolic gift of Blanding’s turtle habitat, you can help ensure the survival of this species.

Photo 1: Photo by NCC. Photo 2: Photo by Paul Reeves. Photo 3: Photo by Ryan M Bolton. Photo 4: Photo by NCC