05/22/2026
Fun Fact Friday!
๐ขTomorrow, May 23rd, is World Turtle Day! To celebrate World Turtle Day, here are some fun facts about turtles!
๐The turtles shell is not just a place to hide. It is part of their body including their ribs and spine. They have nerve endings in their shell allowing them to feel anything that touches them. Their shell grows with them as they age. They can not outgrow it, and cannot leave it.
๐ฆBox turtles, like the Iowa native Ornate Box Turtle, are able to lock their shells closed. They have a hinge on the bottom of their shell that allows them to close their shell with head, tail, and limbs completely inside their shell.
โ๏ธTurtles brumate (similar to hibernate) during the winter months. They can stay underwater and survive for over 100 days by absorbing oxygen from the water through specialized body surfaces.
๐กThe gender of turtles is determined by the substrate temperature where the nest is located and eggs are laid. Warmer ground temperatures produce female turtles and cooler ground temperatures produce male turtles.
๐ขNot all turtles have a hard shell. There are two species of softshell turtles that call Iowa home, the Smooth Softshell Turtle and the Spiny Softshell Turtle. Their shells feel more like leather than a hard shell.
๐ขIowa's largest turtle is the Common Snapping Turtle.
๐The Blanding's Turtle wears a permanent "smile" and can be identified by a bright yellow chin and throat. This species is long-lived and can live up to 70-90 years old. Blanding's turtles are state threatened by habitat fragmentation and loss.
๐ฆThe preservation of Iowa's wetlands and sand prairies is critical to the Blanding's Turtle, the Eastern Musk Turtle, the Wood Turtle, the Ornate Box Turtle, and the Yellow Mud Turtle. These turtles are either state Threatened or Endangered.
๐ฃIf you would like to learn more about Iowa's turtles or see some up close, come out to the Wapsi River Learning Center to meet some of our shelled friends.
๐ทPhoto Credits: Wapsi River Center Naturalists
