By Lisa Browning As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, it reminds me of the many diseases and viruses that animals are faced with, including turtles. Ranavirus infects amphibians, fish, and reptiles, and has been found in Ontario’s turtles. Just like how COVID-19 can be transmitted through our environments and between humans, [...]
Hello everybody, our field team will be tracking 19 juvenile Blanding’s Turtles at our field site: 9 are wild hatched juveniles, 8 are head started juveniles (hatched and reared at the centre), 2 are translocated juveniles (turtles that were injured near the field site (hit by car etc.) and released into the field site [...]
2021 Update OTCC's New Location: A Place to Grow Into Where Community and Conservation Connect Thanks to our generous donors, we have finished renovating two buildings at our new site. This was Phase 1 of our long-term plan and has added over 3,000 sq ft to house recovering turtles! [...]
Our everyday adventures lead us to witness unique species throughout unique environments. From deep open water to shallow mud channels, over land to diminishing ephemeral pools, Blanding’s turtles travel and travel far. Most are found during such travels as their domed backs just slightly crests the surface, or as they bask in the sunlight. [...]
Create Turtle Habitat, by Grace Wiley It wouldn’t take more that taking a nickel out of your pocket or biting into a “Beaver Tail” to remind you of this Canadian icon. Beavers are imbedded into Canadian culture and history. Whether you love them or think of them as a pest; [...]
Radio tracking turtles can be thought of as the most rewarding game of hide-and-go-seek there ever was, mostly because the reward is finding a gorgeous, potentially sassy reptile. Turtles are often portrayed as slow-moving animals but boy oh boy can these little critters move. Not only do our turtles move, but they travel to [...]
While most people take a relaxing trip in the canoe and have fun with their friends and family, when the field team takes out the canoe for turtle research, it becomes a full body workout. We are all familiar with strong winds and some uncomfortable waves that prove difficult for canoeing, but [...]
As humans, we have five senses (sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing). A lot of us tend to rely on sight the most, but this week we are going to explore a day in the field from the perspective of my ears. I awake to the raspy call of an Eastern Phoebe at 6:30 [...]
To learn more about what your donation can do for the turtles of Ontario, see our most recent campaign: Spring, 2019 Donate now to help these turtles and more! Click here to support the OTCC: DONATE The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre is a registered charity: 85752 4409RR0001
So, just how did Andrea and Shellbie end up together? There was a time when each had their very own habitat, their very own tank. They were quite happy, swimming and basking, eagerly peering and probing for the tasty morsels that were dropped into their tanks. Shellbie was living in the area that is primarily [...]
Meet Shellbie, a strikingly coloured Midland Painted turtle. The painted turtle is known for their colourful shell, especially the rim of the carapace.. It really does look like someone took a paint brush and added strokes of gold and red to adorn. Adult painted turtles range from 4 to 6 inches long and the females [...]
Meet Andrea, a beautiful female Blanding’s turtle. Andrea has a story, her story of a journey interrupted. She was a mature turtle when the accident happened. Andrea was close to 20 years old, which is approximately how long it takes for a Blanding’s turtle to mature. It was during her journey across land and quite [...]
