The North American Wood Turtle: Glyptemys insculpta

Wood Turtles have been attributed a high intelligence (among turtles). Tinklepaugh, 1932 found in a laboratory study that Wood Turtles could learn to navigate mazes with the ability of rats in similar situations, and they demonstrate behaviors which can be interpreted by some as signs of intelligence. Perhaps because their behavioral adaptations permit them to easily survive in aquatic habitats and wooded terrestrial habitats they seem more intelligent to an observer than other turtle species that live in less variable habitats or perhaps their intelligence allows them to better adapt - the answer is no doubt in the eye of the observer.

The Turtle Tour (and more...giant moths, EBTs, possums! )

Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species

Where to get captive bred high yellow Wood Turtles

The Wood Turtle Stomp

Care, Clubs, Rescue, and Adoptions

• TurtleForum.com
• TurtleTimes.com
• California Turtle & Tortoise Club
• Mid-Atlantic Turtle & Tortoise Society
• The Turtle Ranch
• Breeding Turtles
• Indiana Turtle Care
• Turtle Homes
• Tortoise Reserve
• Tortoise Trust
• World Chelonian Trust

Wood Turtle Pages

• Michigan State University
• World Chelonian Trust
• Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources
• Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
• Clemmys.de [German]
• Arkive
• Towson University
• HerpNet
• Turtle Conservation Project
• Wikipedia

Wood Turtles seem to have discovered grunting for worms long before humans discovered it.

In the Florida Apalachicola National Forest, around 700 permits (at $30 each) are issued to earthworm grunters every year !

Watch this video to the right and you'll see how the "pros" grunt for worms.

I was out walking one day down a road to an area I was told I could observe some wood turtles in the wild and this pig with a wooden leg ran across the road in front of me and on up to this pig farmer'shouse. Curious, I walked up to the pig farmer and asked him about that pig I saw with the wooden leg. He replied "Yessir!... that there is 'China', our very special pig." He went on to explain how he and his family were asleep one night when a fire started in the house and "China" the pig came in the front door, ran upstairs squealingand woke them all up! He said "Yessir, "China" saved all our lives and the house too - he's somethin' special, one special pig he is!."

I said "Well that's amazing but it doesn't explain to me why he has a wooden leg."

He said "Well shoot, you cain't just eat a special pig like that...'least not all at once."

A couple weeks later I stopped by to say hi to "China" and the pig farmer, and well I guess the pig farmer really meant what he said 'cause...