A Relict Population Doomed To Extinction?
Green Dot = Emergence, Red Dot = Hibernation, Blue Dot = NEW FIND, White Dot = Dead
M55 (J), 210 grams, was found 10/11/17
M56 (M), 479 grams, was found 8/17/18
M57 (Female), 455 grams, was found 8/9/18 in the power line ROW with M27(M) and tracked into hibernation 10/20/18. Apparently a resident, she travels in the same general area as M27 and hibernates in approximately the same area every fall.
0.2 miles in 2018, 11 points (2.5 months)
1.0 miles in 2019, 33 points
2.0 miles in 2020, 37 points
1.3 miles in 2021, 34 points
1.4 miles in 2022, 29 points
0.8 miles in 2023, 35 points
1.0 miles in 2024, 43 points
M58 (Male), 505 grams, was found 9/2/18, lost, found again in 2019, lost, and found once again in September 2020 when meeting with M13 on the top of the ridge. M58 spends time during the summer months in the lower meadow, where others (M18, M11, M24, M29, M6, M1, etc.), males and females, go to meet and mate, and eat raspberries and other fruits from unmowed patches.
0.2 miles in 2018, 8 points (Orange)
0.6 miles in 2019, 6 points (Aqua)
0.1 miles in 2020, 3 points (Pink)
1.1 miles in 2021, 17 points (Blue)
1.9 miles in 2022, 17 points (Red)
1.1 miles in 2023, 11 points (Green)
1.2 miles in 2024, 16 points (Yellow)
M60 (M), 429 grams, was found 10/5/18, tracked into hibernation, and tracked from emerence in 2019 until he traveled over the ridge-top and was lost despite multiple searches.
M59 (M), 329 grams, was found 9/26/18 and tracked into hibernation, but moved and was lost during the winter due to a bad transmitter.
M61 (M), 385 grams, was found 10/7/18
M62 (Male), 400 grams, Dead, was found 10/7/18, along with turtle M61(M), while tracking M18(M), and hibernated close to his found location. He spent most of the 2019 summer season on the cooler north side of a high ridge, making occasional trips to the ridge top. and a single long foray down-slope, almost to a busy highway. He returned to the south slope before hibernation, and hibernated only about 10 feet from his 2018 hibernation location. In 2020 M62 crossed the road in June and lost a transmitter and traveled out of radio range. He was re-found in Mid-April, 2021 still in hibernation, and re-tagged for 2021.
M62 was found dead in a pasture house many farm animals, and only a few feet from another dead turtle.
1.4 miles in 2019, 23 points
1.3 miles in 2020, 9 points
0.2 miles in 2021, 3 points
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
Green Dot = Emergence, Red Dot = Hibernation, Blue Dot = NEW FIND, White Dot = Dead
M63 (Female), 424 grams, was found 7/4/19, and stayed in the same general area for the remainer of the season, including hibernation, but after emergence in in 2020 and mating with M64(M), she crossed 2 roads and spent nearly the entire season in the hollow before crossing over the ridgetop and hibernating in a sheltered stand of pines close to the creek. M63 was lost when her transmitters failed during the winter.
0.5 miles in 2019, 32 points
1.4 miles in 2020, 36 points
0.9 miles in 2021, 36 points
0.3 miles in 2022, 3 points (1 mo.)
In 2024, M63 was found at exactly the same place she was originally found in 2019. Her travels were not tracked the 2024 season.
M64 (Male), 382 grams, was found 5/17/20, while mating with turtle M63, and remained in the same open woods nearly the entire season, only crossing the road to spend a few days in the meadow before crossing back and spending the remainder of the season in the woods.
Again in the 2021 season, M64 stayed within a relatively small primary activity area of about 7 acres, only rarely traveling into a meadow, and once crossing 2 roads and later crossing back mid-season. The 2022 season, M64 duplicated the previous years travels, except for the road crossings.
There are no physical barriers around this activity area, and M64 is continually active during the summer months. The tracked route may appear to be random movement, but it includes a number of familiar small open spaces and landmarks.
M65 (Male), Dead, 395 grams, was found 5/26/20, and tracked until 10/2/21 when he was found dead, apparently attacked by small mammals.
0.4 miles in 2020, 16 points
0.6 miles in 2021, 7 points
M61 (M), 385 grams, was found 10/7/18, along with turtle M62(M), while tracking M18(M) M61 was lost in 2019. He has a seriously damaged carapace, including the keel and spine (healed), and other types of carapace and plastron damage and disease.
0.1 miles in 2018, 3 points
0.5 miles in 2019, 5 points
M66 (Male), grams, was found crossing the road on June 3rd by employees Chris and Troy. Certainly a transient from the adjacent local Box turtle population to the north. M66 was not tracked during the 2024 season.
2.2 miles in 2021, 22 points
1.7 miles in 2022, 11 points
M68 (Male), 351 grams, a relatively small but active male, was found mating with M24 on 7/28/21 who had traveled well outside of her normal activity area to mate. M68 stayed mostly on the south slope and ridge top the 2021 season, and mated with at least 2 turtles (M24 and M1).
His travel would suggest he is a resident, but he was never been seen before the 2021 season.
1.0 miles in 2021, 18 points (3 1/2 mounths)
2.7 miles in 2022, 39 points
0.3 miles in 2023, 9 points
0.5 miles in 2024, 10 points
M70 (Male), 506.6 grams, dead, was found on 10/14/21 near turtle M49(f) on a slope near the top of the ridge during a cold spell just before most turtles were found under the soil in hibernation. He was tracked all of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. in mid October 2023, M70 was found to have a broken plastron and hinge, and was removed from the woods and taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, where he was killed.
0.9 miles in 2022, 16 pts
0.6 miles in 2023, 32 pts
M71 (Male), 441.5 grams, was found on 11/7/21 on top of the leaves in the woods, near the top of the ridge while searching for M70. GPS miles tracked:
0.8 miles in 2022, 23 pts (red)
0.7 miles in 2023, 27 pts (green)
0.8 miles in 2024, 22 pts (yellow)
M71 shares a relatively small activity area with M74 (female).
M72 (Male), 430 grams, was found on 7/19/22
1.4 miles in 2022, 13 pts
M73 (Male), 490 grams, was found on 9/13/22 while searching for M38 (female) in the Cabin Meeting Area. . He stayed and hibernated nearby. Apparently, M73 is a resident of this hollow, and is well traveled, and appears to be well aquainted with this area.
0.1 miles in 2022, 8 pts (red)
2.5 miles in 2023, 41 pts (green)
2.1 miles in 2024, 30 pts (yellow
M74 (Female), 450 grams, was found on 8/19/23 while searching for M71 (male). M74 is apparently another resident of the hollow, and shares this part of the lower part of the north slope and ravine with M71.
0.2 miles in 2023, 10 pts (green)
0.7 miles in 2024, 19 pts (yellow)
If the contact form does not work, my email is: jbasi@cfw.com text is: 540 414 3235
Turtle M75 (male) 335 grams, a relatively small adult male, was found with M42 (female) on 10/5/24
M57 All Years 2018 to 2024
In June 2020, M57 suddenly began a very long distance foray off of the ridge, following the edge of the creek to a non-descript location 0.7 miles, and after about a month, returned to the ridge and ROW where she started. She stayed there for the remainder of the season and through hibernation.
During the 2022 season, during her second long forray, she was run over by a tractor tire, which pressed her into the soft soil, but broke her carapace. She was removed to a rehab location, and appeared to eventually heal, and was returned to her normal activity for the fall and hibernation.
M58 all years 2018 to 2024
2.3 miles in 2020, 59 points (red line)
3.5 miles in 2021, 118 points (yellow line)
2.4 miles in 2022, 131 points
1.7 miles in 2023, 99 points
During the 2022 season, M64 was located and GPS'ed every day, and in addition, was thread-trailed to record the actual distance traveled. M64 was nt tracked during the 2024 season.
