While to the introvert, taking refuge in your mental shell is a coping mechanism, to others – specifically small, green, shelled reptiles – it’s literally a home.
Turtles in southwestern Virginia are one of the most common and well-known species of reptiles. They crop up everywhere like your backyard, near water or (inconveniently) on a road or in the driveway. While many think of sea turtles on the coast and their conservation, these turtles’ backwoods cousins need just as much attention.
Popular Turtles
Some of the most popular species of turtles in Virginia’s forests and wooded areas are box turtles and wood turtles. The two are easily mistaken for each other, but box turtles offer a subtle difference found in a more domed carapace (shell).
Box turtles stand out from their similar-looking cousins by the fact that they are mostly land-dwelling (with a few exceptions). The patterns on their shells look like the work of a wild paintbrush, with highly varied patterns, brown or black with streaks of yellow or orange. The wood turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle often known as a “bottom walker” for its habit of crawling along the bottom of bodies of water to forage for prey.
Snapping turtles are easily recognized for having longer tails, larger heads and a shell that seems too small for their bodies. Folklore passed down over generations has been largely successful in spreading some popular myths. For example, no, turtles cannot bite through a broomstick handle, and they are also unlikely to bite children’s toes while they are swimming.
Moving Turtles
Brakes squeal as the latest victim to these slowly moving reptiles’ seemingly favorite hangout spot avoids a turtle making its sweet time across the road. Turtles are a nuisance when found in the road, and “turtle etiquette” raises questions. What to do when one finds a turtle in the road?
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) confirms that one should, if possible and safe, try to move the turtle to the far side of the road in the direction it was traveling.
Snapping turtles offer a slightly different conundrum as the feisty creatures can become belligerent if you try to pick them up. They can reach around the sides and bite you, which is not the kind of experience you want when trying to help one to a more safe place. One suggestion is using a large shovel to move a snapping turtle.
On a side note, as it is illegal to relocate or liberate turtles, if you find one in your yard, leave it alone. Relocating turtles can result in a tragic end. According to the Virginia DWR: “If a turtle is injured or turtle eggs are unintentionally dug up, contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area. Often human intervention can help save these reptiles’ lives.”
Pet Turtles
For some well-intentioned animal lovers, the idea of keeping the docile turtle as a pet may be appealing. After all, it isn’t illegal … is it? Well, legal questions are important, but what’s equally important is one’s individual circumstances and the situation of the turtle.
According to Virginia DWR, while it is illegal to sell or purchase turtle species native to or naturalized in Virginia, it’s not illegal to keep the reptiles as pets. However, doing so may bring some very limited options, and may tragically result in the humane killing of the turtle when no other resources are available.
Keeping a turtle as a pet often makes it unable to live in the wild. It can only be released within certain criteria, such as a maximum of 30 days of captivity, no illness or injury, and at the exact location it was found.
If one has kept the turtle for a long time and no longer wishes to, your best efforts are finding a new home for it. However, nature centers are often full of turtles and cannot take any more. If they cannot be returned to the wild based on the criteria listed above, they will have to be euthanized.
Turtles are a slow-moving wonder of creation, and the introverts among us envy their shelled living. However, road mortality and the improper treatment of turtles can cause some of these reptiles, such as the box turtle, to be in a state of decline across the state. It’s a reminder that humans should be good stewards of God’s creation and take care of the introverted reptiles found in New River Valley backyards, driveways and roads.
Text by Caitlyn Koser
Caitlyn Koser is a New River Valley-based freelance writer and home school student.
