Personal Space and Turtles

It's just barely spring, the weather's warming up, you want a place with ample sunlight but with easy access to water. For many turtles, this means there's some competition for a good log. I haven't seen fights over a log spot, but I'm some pushing, shoving, and even climbing atop other turtles certainly occurs.

In this picture it looks like 6 Eastern Painted Turtles, 1 Red-eared Slider (in the middle, and with the red "ear"), and (probably) 1 Northern Red-bellied Cooter (the big 1 at the top). FWIW the (non-native) Red-eared Slider is considered a pushy species, though I do wonder about their ability to push around the usually-larger cooters. And AFAIK the more abundant Painted Turtles don't team up to help 1 another against the other species.

Though it seems a little crowded, this is the general solution for turtles looking for some springtime sun.

March 26, 2023 at the Raritan Water Power Canal
Photo 269672785, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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