Fear the Turtle? No, Fear For the Turtle

Previously, we have reported on a fungus affecting amphibians across the globe.  Today, we read in The Washington Post that there is a disease killing box turtles, called ranavirus, which began in amphibians.  In fact, according to article, ranavirus "is believed to have killed nearly every tadpole and young salamander in the study area in Montgomery County’s North Branch Stream Valley Park since spring 2010. The discoveries have alarmed state wildlife officials and biologists, who worry about how far ranavirus has spread, how widely it has affected the ecosystem, and how it apparently jumped between turtles — which are reptiles — and amphibians. If the virus spreads or goes unchecked for long, wildlife experts say, it could devastate some local populations of box turtles, frogs and salamanders. That loss, biologists say, would ripple along the food chain to other animals."

We have not observed any signs of the disease in the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) population here at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, but we will check any turtles we encounter.

Here are some images we have taken over the years which show some of the many looks within the Beidler Forest population.

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman

Eastern Box Turtle - Mark Musselman