Eastern Musk Turtle
I met yet another Eastern Musk Turtle about 2 months ago. This was the first spring that I was retired and a pandemic wasn't shutting down most parks and related areas, which is presumably why I recorded my first 3 confirmed musk turtle pictures. Eastern Musk Turtles aren't believed to be faring poorly in New Jersey, though they're a little hard to spot because they spend a lot of time in the water. A few more facts about them: They can emit a musky-smelling liquid from a scent gland, but it's not for romance. Similar to skunks, it's intended to drive off predators. This is why another name for them is the unflattering "stinkpot". Surprisingly for a turtle that's described as "almost entirely aquatic", they're also described as poor swimmers. What they seem to be better at than most turtles is probably tree-climbing. They are (at least in New Jersey) the most likely turtle species to fall into your canoe. I'm assuming they climbed...