For many years, it was assumed that researchers could tell the age of turtles by counting growth rings that appear on their shell each time they shed or grow, just like one might use growth rings to age a tree. However, some studies have cast doubt on the usefulness of this measure to accurately age turtles. Accurately aging individuals can be useful for determining age-specific
We found that while scute rings may provide a general idea about the age of the turtle, issues associated with observer error and wearing down of the scutes on the turtle prevented the method from accurately aging individuals across years. While it is unfortunate that this common method is inaccurate, understanding that we cannot rely on this method can prevent erroneous conclusions from being drawn from other studies on spotted turtles. Future studies should address the accuracy of this method for aging juvenile spotted turtles, which will be critical to gathering important demographic parameters necessary for producing more accurate demographic models.
This project is part of a larger study aimed at understanding the long-term population trends and future population viability of a local spotted turtle population. Spotted turtles are currently under federal review for listing on the endangered species act and are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as globally endangered. The Susquehannock Wildlife Society is committed to providing an evidence-based approach to focus on conserving this species in the lower Susquehanna River watershed for generations to come.
For more detailed information on the research conducted, please read the publication here:
