Wormenators

[Itort]

This is the nickname I gave 4 hatchling NA wood turtles I received from Terry in Oct. I set them up in an enclosure approximating their habitat. This consists of about 2/3s damp fine hardwood mulch (almost humus) mixed with sphagrum moss and with some maple leaves as cover. The other 1/3 is shallow water ( about 1"). I put some red wigglers in their dish for food and well some got into the substrat. Well one day after this I saw one begin to drum worms. In this behavior, the turtle will raise up on alternate forelegs and drop down on the surface. This causes worms to rise to the surface and the turtle eats them. Two of the four and possibly a third are doing this. This is a behavior of woods in the wild as well as captivity. Sometimes their intelligence is frightening. And no they are not slimy.

 

[jlyoncc1]

That is really interesting. I have never heard of that. I would love to see a pic of them and their enclosure!

 

[Itort]

Their enclosure is very temporary (a 24" x 12" sweater box with 11" plant dish). I read of the drumming while researching them but didn't expect it in some so young. I'm very fortinate to have them, they have always been my dream turtle and I hope have a breeding colony. They are very threatened thru out their range and I had to get a permit for them.

 

[egyptiandan]

Something I wrote.
NORTH AMERICAN WOOD TURTLES, Glyptemys insculpta, STOMPING FOR EARTHWORMS

North American Wood turtles employ an unusual technique for acquiring earthworms to eat. The turtle starts by stomping the ground with the left or right foreleg, alternating legs in this phase. The stomping motion with the legs usually last 5 to 10 seconds. They then progress to raising the left or right side of the front half of the plastron, then driving the plastron against the ground. The turtle does this 6 to 10 times in quick succession . The sound of this can be heard several meters away. They will stop to eat any earthworm that appears. They will then repeat this technique after moving 5 to 10 cm. Stomping sessions can last anywhere from 15 minutes to more than 4 hours.
It is interesting to conjecture as to how Wood turtles first learned this technique. Ancient Wood turtles might have had an elaborate territorial display between animals that met one another. It might have been an elaborate foreleg waving display that ended with stomping the leg on the ground. If neither gives way it would get more insistent with plastron drumming. I can imagine two turtles doing that and having an earthworm pop-up. All notions of a territorial dispute would have been forgotten with the chase for a meal. Another possibility would be an elaborate mating display. The stomping of the foreleg could have been an invitation to mate. Drumming of the plastron could have been a signal that breeding was not wanted. All this is just conjecture, though stomping appears to be instinctual with even captive born wood turtles performing this technique.
Earthworm stomping appears to be a very energy efficient technique to find earthworms. Stomping with one foreleg at a time, then using gravity to help drum the plastron against the ground. This technique uses less energy then say an Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, digging through the leaf litter with both forelimbs, both averaging 2.4 earthworms per hour. This savings of energy could explain the larger size of Wood turtles compared to Eastern box turtles. With more energy going to growth and not into finding protein rich prey, Wood turtles can use that energy to reach a larger maximum size. Which in turn would only help with this technique, the bigger and heavier you are the harder you can vibrate the ground and the more earthworms you’ll have pop-up.

Danny

 

[Iluvemturts]

I would LOVE to have a couple of NA woods but I cant
They are native here. Ive read that they are very smart.

Itort I love the name Wormenator ...fits em well

They are BEAUTIFUL and not oogy at all LOL

 

[Itort]

I know what you mean about legality. Here they are illegal to collect or disturb. Mine are NE range, captivebred outside range f2. The ones we have, Wi,Mn, and Ia are what I call western woods. I wish natural resource departments would do more for endangered & threatened herps than give lipservice. A case in point is in Iowa ornate boxes are protected but I can go into any "inspected" pet shop and buy one, yet on my property, a sand prairie with open wood lot, I can't reintroduce them.

 

[Itort]

Presenting the Wormenators.

 

[Itort]

View attachment 486View attachment 487Dinnertime for the wormenators. Worms and snails, yummy.

 

[Crazy1]

Itort I Love their long tails, and I agree with Tracy, the nick name Wormenators does suit them and I don't thingk they are Oogy at all. Thank you and Danny for sharing these interesting tutles and information with us.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

I dug up a few pics that I sent Itort when he inquired last fall. I had 6 available..

Look at these faces and belly pics..

And why they're called Wormenators..

Larry called.. all excited when he fed them worms for the first time..
"You sent me 'wormenators'!!

- I've been waiting for years for these"!