CAMBRIDGE – Slowly but surely, the baby turtles are coming out of their eggshells.
After conservation technicians at rare Charitable Research Reserve spent 70 hour weeks in June responding to hotline calls and collecting 2,002 eggs from 74 nests in the tri-city area, they’re in for a real treat.
“This is the rewarding part of the year when they all come out,” said Sarah Marshall, conservation technician with the Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge who is leading the turtle project.
The baby turtles are expected to hatch within the next three weeks. The average hatchling weighs between 9 to 15 grams.
“Right now actively, we have about 1,863 eggs left that could become hatchlings,” said Marshall.
Not all eggs hatch as there are some that might have a micro crack or may be infertile. “Those get thrown out,” said Marshall.
Out of the 2,002 eggs collected, 1,989 were snapping turtle eggs and 13 were painted turtle eggs, and 500 of the total eggs were collected in Guelph.
Once collected, about half a dozen eggs are placed in a closed container filled with vermiculite — which helps hold moisture — and then put into an incubator.
After they hatch, they are placed in an open plastic container with a soaked paper towel that serves as a replacement for small vegetation enabling turtles to crawl around, hide and comfortably swim.
“It just makes them feel more safe and comfortable and less stressed out and it also gives them something to climb around because this is the first time they’ve been in the water,” said Marshall.
“It’s good for them to kind of get those muscles working.”
New hatchlings are released where they were found within approximately two days of them coming out of their shell. At that time, they are measured and weighed.
Marshall said she sees hatchlings behave in one of two ways. The first is a hatchling that tries to absorb the world around him and remains still while the second, of course, is one that tries to escape sometimes even with its yolk sac still attached to its belly.
“So they’ll be running all over the eggs and their siblings before we can get them out,” said Marshall.
The two species of turtles also grow quite differently.
“As they get older, they will have slightly different behaviour. So painted turtles have the big bottom shell that they can pull inside their shell and hide,” said Marshall.
“Snapping turtles don’t fit inside their shells and their bottom shell is actually kind of like a bikini.”
Because of the social distancing measures needed to be put in place for the pandemic, rare is planning to host a virtual hatchling release party on Facebook live so residents can safely watch the turtles begin their new lives.
Anybody who signs up for the rare Walk and Run virtual fundraiser by Aug. 14 can enter a chance to win a draw to attend the hatchling release party in person.
