This year marks the 40th anniversary of Masswildlife’s Northern Red-bellied Cooter Headstart Program, one of the longest and most intensive freshwater turtle conservation programs in existence.
The northern red-bellied parrot is listed as endangered under federal and state endangered species laws. Like most Massachusetts turtles, northern red-bellied conure hatchlings have many predators and few reach adulthood and reproductive age.
Through the Headstart Program, baby turtles are removed from the wild in early fall and matched with educational and scientific facilities across the state. For 8 to 9 months, turtles live in a warm aquarium environment with unlimited food. This greatly accelerates the growth of the turtles, increasing the likelihood of survival. This size advantage gives each turtle a “head start” in life before being released back into the wild.
When the Headstart Program began in 1984, the estimated population of northern redbellied turtles in Massachusetts was only 300 turtles. Due to the success of the Headstart program, the population now exceeds 2,000 adults.
The turtles initiated this year returned to MassWildlife in mid-May. Each turtle was fitted with a passive integrated tag (PIT) used for identification and tracking. The young turtles were then released into the wild at suitable sites in the southeastern part of the state. This included the release of the 5,000th red-bellied cooter!
Facts About the Northern Red-bellied Cooter
Common name: Northern Red-bellied Cooter
Scientific name: Pseudemys rubriventris
Size: Males: 10 to 12 inches long; females: 11 to 13.5 inches long; weigh up to 12.7 pounds
Range: Massachusetts Population: Plymouth and Eastern Bristol Counties; Primary range: Coastal Plain of New Jersey south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, inland to the Potomac Basin of West Virginia
State of conservation: State and federally listed as endangered
Fun Fact: Life expectancy is believed to be more than 50 years.
These two turtles are the same age, but the larger turtle was part of the Headstart program and the smaller turtle was not.
Adult Northern Red-bellied Cooters basking in the sun.
There are 10 species of native freshwater turtles living in Massachusetts. Six of these turtles are listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). Learn more about our native turtles and what you can do to help them thrive.
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