Stinkpot Sighting

One of my favorite things about working at the WPWA campus is greeting a visitor. Many times throughout the spring and summer months members will stop by to say hello and renew their memberships. Other times people driving by will finally take the time to come into the office and check it out, often mentioning that they'd thought of stopping many times before. It is always a pleasure to see a friendly face and even better to see them return! Some of my favorite visitors though, are the ones that call the Wood River their home.

Today I was visited by Sternotherus odoratus, who I have not seen for almost a year to the day. However, she did not arrive by car, or by boat as many others do. She simply walked out of the water and up onto the riverbank, most likely looking for a safe spot to lay her eggs.

The Stinkpot Turtle is restricted to the Americas and is common to the Atlantic coast. Their habitat range is from Ontario down to Florida, though there are few in northern New England. They inhabit permanent bodies of water: lakes, ponds and rivers, and have even been found in reservoirs. They prefer areas with abundant aquatic vegetation and feed along the bottom for various foods, their favorite being dragonfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae (DeGraaf and Rudis, 1983).

Though they are also called the musk turtle, because of their musk glands, I do believe that name is misleading. When these little reptiles feel threatened they omit an odor quite unlike musk. Perhaps instead they could have been called the sulphur turtle, or even the burned rubber turtle. This afternoon, while Denise and I were enjoying the small visitor, I fetched a pair of gloves, which Denise happily traded me for the camera. Within seconds the familiar smell was apparent! Knowing we were interrupting a very important task Denise safely returned the stinkpot to the ground.

I know I will be fortunate enough to see another stinkpot on the grounds of the WPWA campus. However, what would really be a treat would be to witness the hatch of our visitor's clutch within the next few months!

Amphibians and Reptiles of New England, Richard M. DeGraaf & Deborah D. Rudis, 1983