The two trips I made to the Florida panhandle river in September (see the threads 'September Macrochelys' and 'A few more September turtles') were good and I had found pretty much all of the species that the region is known for. But I still wanted some updated photos of a hatchling Barbour's map turtle, Graptemys barbouri and this past weekend (October 5-7) I was able to wrangle a bit more time to get away for a couple of days. In addition, my wife Barbara was able to come along too. Barb is excellent company in the field and as an added bonus she is a much better canoeist than I am. She also tends to spot basking turtles better than I do and can net them with the best of us.
Since we already had photos of most turtles that are to be found in the creek and river we would be canoeing, we decided to relax and just enjoy the scenery and would only make an effort to net what turtles would be 'easy' and then any new hatchling G. barbouri we might see. Of course, I would spend a little time snorkeling for fossils, artifacts and turtles too.
The yellow-bellied turtle, Trachemys scripta is a very common species throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain but I think that they are under appreciated simply because they are so familiar. Nevertheless, they can be absolutely beautiful animals. This little hatchling lingered a little too long on his basking stick as we drifted by him and I was able to pluck him off of his perch with my hand...
Most T. scripta in this river system have almost no pattern on their plastrons and besides the usual two black dots most possess on their gular scutes, this little one had but one dot on his plastron...
They all wear their striped pants though...
We snapped a few photos of this turtle and then gave him a good lecture about being more alert. He was released right back where we found him, hopefully a bit more wary.
At this time of year newly hatched loggerhead musk turtles, Sternotherus minor are a common sight. I never get tired of their bright plastrons...
Being so cute as neonates you would never think that they eventually grow to be scary little beasts with oversized heads. Barb netted this cranky old female as she slept on a willow branch three feet above the water. We wondered how long she has been patrolling the river bottom while searching for clams, crayfish and other stuff to eat.
How these clunky turtles are able to climb so well has been something that amazes the people who find them in such improbable situations. But Saturday Barb and I spotted many loggerheads of all sizes that had climbed out over the river to bask. A number of them were a full four feet above the water and when you consider the total distance they climb from the waterline, up the tree trunk, and then out along the branch they choose to bask on it is nothing short of amazing.
Here is a closeup of her head. I'd really hate to get nailed by a turtle like this...
Plastron. You can see just how big her head is...
The skies were somewhat overcast that day and coupled with the naturally cold (for me) water temperatures, I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the bottom with my mask. But here are some things I found this trip or on recent dives.
Fossil shark teeth. The top is from the extinct mako shark, Isurus hastalis. The one on the bottom is a small megalodon tooth.
Mammal teeth. The large ivory colored tooth is from a Bison species and the darker one is a cheek tooth of the extinct horse, Neohipparion trampasense of the late Miocene or early Pliocene eras.
Turtle fossils. The two pieces on the left are emydid turtles--probably Trachemys species. The larger fossil on the top right is the front of a carapace from the extinct giant box turtle, Terrapene putnami. The little piece at the bottom right is the core from a thigh scute of an extinct tortoise, probably one of the Geochelone species.
Lastly, chert flakings. Chert was the material used by Paleo Indians to make arrowheads (points), spear points and knives. It can be incredibly sharp and durable.
Here are a couple of outstanding cypress trees we have admired for many years. I can't even begin to imagine how old they might be...
Getting back to hunting turtles....like I mentioned above, a neonate G. barbouri would be nice.
At one point during our canoe trip I spotted a perfect little hatchling Barbour's map turtle basking on a small log that was floating with a bunch of other debris off to our right. I blurted out, "Look! a hatchling barbouri!" to Barb who was in the front of the canoe and thus had her back to me. That my exclamation made little sense to someone with their back to me didn't make any difference to me at the time. "Where?" she asked while looking about in front of her. "Right there!!!" I stated even more urgently, again oblivious to how meaningless this was to Barb. She turned back towards me with a look a wife often gives her husband--but I was already stretching out with the net for the dopey little turtle who so far had ignored to two loud people in the canoe. Just as my net went under him he decided to bolt, fortunately right into it.
At last a new hatchling that hadn't yet grown algae on his carapace...
Their spiky carapace gives them the sometimes used name of 'sawback'
Regardless of what you call them, Barbour's map turtles are very unusual and very beautiful turtles...
They seem to have an almost regal look to them--even as neonates...
After these photos were taken we released him right back into the river where he belonged.
Three weeks and three turtle hunting trips, a record for me. But it sure was worth it.
Early the next morning we were back on I-10 headed for home...
On the way home I took Barb to the Daytona Beach Pier and lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. After all I owed her!
Since we already had photos of most turtles that are to be found in the creek and river we would be canoeing, we decided to relax and just enjoy the scenery and would only make an effort to net what turtles would be 'easy' and then any new hatchling G. barbouri we might see. Of course, I would spend a little time snorkeling for fossils, artifacts and turtles too.
The yellow-bellied turtle, Trachemys scripta is a very common species throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain but I think that they are under appreciated simply because they are so familiar. Nevertheless, they can be absolutely beautiful animals. This little hatchling lingered a little too long on his basking stick as we drifted by him and I was able to pluck him off of his perch with my hand...
Most T. scripta in this river system have almost no pattern on their plastrons and besides the usual two black dots most possess on their gular scutes, this little one had but one dot on his plastron...
They all wear their striped pants though...
We snapped a few photos of this turtle and then gave him a good lecture about being more alert. He was released right back where we found him, hopefully a bit more wary.
At this time of year newly hatched loggerhead musk turtles, Sternotherus minor are a common sight. I never get tired of their bright plastrons...
Being so cute as neonates you would never think that they eventually grow to be scary little beasts with oversized heads. Barb netted this cranky old female as she slept on a willow branch three feet above the water. We wondered how long she has been patrolling the river bottom while searching for clams, crayfish and other stuff to eat.
How these clunky turtles are able to climb so well has been something that amazes the people who find them in such improbable situations. But Saturday Barb and I spotted many loggerheads of all sizes that had climbed out over the river to bask. A number of them were a full four feet above the water and when you consider the total distance they climb from the waterline, up the tree trunk, and then out along the branch they choose to bask on it is nothing short of amazing.
Here is a closeup of her head. I'd really hate to get nailed by a turtle like this...
Plastron. You can see just how big her head is...
The skies were somewhat overcast that day and coupled with the naturally cold (for me) water temperatures, I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the bottom with my mask. But here are some things I found this trip or on recent dives.
Fossil shark teeth. The top is from the extinct mako shark, Isurus hastalis. The one on the bottom is a small megalodon tooth.
Mammal teeth. The large ivory colored tooth is from a Bison species and the darker one is a cheek tooth of the extinct horse, Neohipparion trampasense of the late Miocene or early Pliocene eras.
Turtle fossils. The two pieces on the left are emydid turtles--probably Trachemys species. The larger fossil on the top right is the front of a carapace from the extinct giant box turtle, Terrapene putnami. The little piece at the bottom right is the core from a thigh scute of an extinct tortoise, probably one of the Geochelone species.
Lastly, chert flakings. Chert was the material used by Paleo Indians to make arrowheads (points), spear points and knives. It can be incredibly sharp and durable.
Here are a couple of outstanding cypress trees we have admired for many years. I can't even begin to imagine how old they might be...
Getting back to hunting turtles....like I mentioned above, a neonate G. barbouri would be nice.
At one point during our canoe trip I spotted a perfect little hatchling Barbour's map turtle basking on a small log that was floating with a bunch of other debris off to our right. I blurted out, "Look! a hatchling barbouri!" to Barb who was in the front of the canoe and thus had her back to me. That my exclamation made little sense to someone with their back to me didn't make any difference to me at the time. "Where?" she asked while looking about in front of her. "Right there!!!" I stated even more urgently, again oblivious to how meaningless this was to Barb. She turned back towards me with a look a wife often gives her husband--but I was already stretching out with the net for the dopey little turtle who so far had ignored to two loud people in the canoe. Just as my net went under him he decided to bolt, fortunately right into it.
At last a new hatchling that hadn't yet grown algae on his carapace...
Their spiky carapace gives them the sometimes used name of 'sawback'
Regardless of what you call them, Barbour's map turtles are very unusual and very beautiful turtles...
They seem to have an almost regal look to them--even as neonates...
After these photos were taken we released him right back into the river where he belonged.
Three weeks and three turtle hunting trips, a record for me. But it sure was worth it.
Early the next morning we were back on I-10 headed for home...
On the way home I took Barb to the Daytona Beach Pier and lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. After all I owed her!
