Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 48
photo-Tom Diez
by Rob Criswell
It may seem difficult to get excited about a creature like the eastern mud turtle. It’s a small, nondescript species that practically no Pennsylvanian has ever seen or heard of. Its appearance is no more exciting than its name. With a carapace (upper shell) that is usually only 3- to 4-inches long, it is one of our smallest turtles. And, it doesn’t win any beauty contests either. The smooth, oval upper shell is a plain oliveyellow, brown or black hue, and the plastron (lower shell) is a yellow or yellow-brown. The neck, legs and tail are olive to brown as well, but the dark brown head sports yellow stripes or mottling. Somewhat interesting features of the eastern mud turtle anatomy include an unusual double-hinged plastron. These hinges are located on either side of central scutes (plates) on its underside and allow the turtle to completely retract its body when it decides to “close the doors.” The tail of the male is larger and thicker than that of the female and is tipped with a spine or spike. The eastern mud turtle is often confused with the eastern musk turtle or “stinkpot,” which is named aptly for the musky odor it emits when under duress. Although there are other subtle differences, the distinguishing feature that separates the two species is that the eastern musk turtle has only one hinge on the upper portion of its plastron. Although once thought to be most at home in aquatic environs, recent research has shown that eastern mud turtles spend the majority of their life cycle in uplands. Prime eastern mud turtle habitat includes swamps, marshes and ponds, along with slow-moving streams and rivers with soft, muddy bottoms and dense stands of aquatic vegetation. But, just as important is the adjacent terra firma, which should feature meadows, shrublands, thickets and open forests, all with loose, sandy or loamy soils for easy digging and burrowing. Until recently, almost nothing was known about Pennsylvania’s eastern mud turtles. There were a few old records from Pennsylvania’s portion of the Coastal Plain in Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, but no specimens had been confirmed since 1963, and this species was considered extirpated from the state. That all changed in 2008. Researchers from East Stroudsburg University cooperating with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) on a State Wildlife Grant (SWG) made an exciting discovery, a dead specimen near a wetland complex. The
The eastern mud turtle has an unusual doublehinged plastron (lower shell). These hinges allow the turtle to completely retract its body.
photo-Brandon Ruhe
48
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • November/December 2012
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012
Straight Talk
Table of Contents
Small Stream Steelhead
Your Fishing Field Guide
Tying the Beadhead Egg
East State Late-Season Trout Waters
How to Capture that Trophy Fish in a Picture
It’s a Dog’s Life (Jacket!)
Best by a Dam Site
Notes from the Stream
A Family of Not So Ordinary Anglers
The Late Fall Metal Bite
Noodles and Eggs
Ice Fishing from Docks
Tackle Maintenance
Coldwater Smallmouth Bass Tactics
Fun Family Fishing, Always an Adventure
Recycling Fish
Choosing the Right Ice Shanty
Eastern Mud Turtle
State Wildlife Action Plan
Zebra Mussels Invade Conneaut Lake
Reflecting on the Water
Currents
Angler’s Notebook
Fishin’ from the Kitchen
Cast & Caught
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - CT1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - CT2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Straight Talk
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Table of Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Small Stream Steelhead
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 7
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 8
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Your Fishing Field Guide
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Tying the Beadhead Egg
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - East State Late-Season Trout Waters
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 12
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 13
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - How to Capture that Trophy Fish in a Picture
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 15
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 16
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - It’s a Dog’s Life (Jacket!)
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 18
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Best by a Dam Site
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 20
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 21
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Notes from the Stream
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 23
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - A Family of Not So Ordinary Anglers
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 25
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 26
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - The Late Fall Metal Bite
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 28
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 29
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Noodles and Eggs
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 31
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 32
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 33
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Ice Fishing from Docks
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 35
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 36
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Tackle Maintenance
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 38
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 39
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Coldwater Smallmouth Bass Tactics
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 41
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Fun Family Fishing, Always an Adventure
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 43
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Recycling Fish
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 45
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Choosing the Right Ice Shanty
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 47
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Eastern Mud Turtle
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 49
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - State Wildlife Action Plan
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 51
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Zebra Mussels Invade Conneaut Lake
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 53
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Reflecting on the Water
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Currents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 56
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 57
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 58
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 59
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 60
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 61
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 62
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Fishin’ from the Kitchen
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - Cast & Caught
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - CT3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - CT4
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