Nebraskaland

T he Missouri River is a complex system that supports an abundance of fish and wildlife. In addition to the endangered pallid sturgeon, least tern and threatened piping plover, there is another group of inhabitants that is less talked about: river turtles. In 2005, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission began an extensive monitoring project on the Missouri River, a survey that would span 385 miles and touch Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Missouri borders. With the status of Missouri river turtles unknown, this project would be the largest and first of its kind. Turtle Behavior As recognizable as turtles are, the conservation world knows relatively little about them. Although many studies have been conducted on sea turtles, the life histories of river turtles have remained mysteries. In Nebraska's range of the Missouri River, species found are the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), false map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica), smooth softshell (Apalone mutica), spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera), and also a couple of red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), a common pet turtle whose range is normally farther south. River turtles are ectotherms, or "cold blooded," meaning that they depend on outside sources for heat. All species mentioned are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter, including fish, shellfish and insects. Common snapping turtles are opportunistic hunters and will also eat birds, small mammals, amphibians and other reptiles, such as frogs and snakes, though studies have shown that 75 to 90 percent of their diet actually comes from vegetation. The Missouri River provides habitat for all these species. Common snapping turtles spend most of their time lying on the bottom, preferably in water with muddy bottoms and lots of vegetation, found in the backwaters of the Missouri. Western painted turtles, false maps, both species of softshells and red-eared sliders are all basking turtles, meaning that they like to spend time out of the water to lie on logs, rocks or sandbars on bright, sunny days. Painted turtles prefer freshwater that is quiet, shallow and muddy, while false map turtles prefer large rivers, where moderate currents, vegetation, snags and floating logs are found. Also preferring large rivers, spiny and smooth softshell turtles favor living in water with medium to fast currents. Though both species like to bask, they also spend much time underwater and have the ability to absorb oxygen in the water through their skin and cloaca (rectum). Lastly, while not common in the Missouri River, red-eared sliders prefer muddy-bottomed, permanent waters with plentiful vegetation. According to Prairie Fire newspaper, they are abundant in Nebraska's metropolitan ponds as a result of "lazy pet owners." Project Beginnings In 2004, the Missouri River Natural Resources Committee proposed to conduct a river-wide turtle status study in the Missouri River from the Rocky Mountains of Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. The committee The study's design requires 25 turtle traps to be set in each of the four reaches of the Missouri River, which include sections by Niobrara, Ponca, Blair and Brownville. The traps are set one mile apart and checked the following morning. Noah Luedtke (left), Cynthia Watson, Elizabeth Grimes, Ryan Ruskamp and Jacob Johnson pull in a turtle trap near Niobrara to collect data for the Commission's study on Missouri River turtles. Niobrara reach Ponca reach Sioux City Blair reach Omaha N Brownville reach JULY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 49

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