Deirochelys reticularia
chicken turtle

Chicken turtles, made up of three subspecies, are found in suitable habitat throughout the southeastern United States. Deirochelys reticularia is found in coastal areas from Virginia to Texas and northward into Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Florida subspecies, D. r. chrysea, is limited to peninsular Florida. The eastern, D. r. reticularia, and western, D. r. miaria, subspecies of chicken turtles are separated by the Mississippi River. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Chicken turtles are semi-aquatic basking turtles, found on both water and land. They prefer quiet bodies of water: ponds, lakes, ditches, marshes, cypress swamps and Carolina bays. They bask on logs, rocks, and other emergent structures. They prefer water with plenty of aquatic vegetation and a soft substrate. Chicken turtles are tolerant of ephemeral aquatic habitats and readily travel onto land to burrow into the soil and escape dry conditions. They have been found at water depths of a few centimeters to more than 2 m. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994; Gibbons and Greene, 1978)

Chicken turtles are readily identified by their long, striped necks. Head and neck length is approximately equal to their plastron length, or up to 80% of the length of their carapace. They are sometimes called “American snake necks” because of this. They are small to medium-sized turtles with a pear-shaped, olive to dark brown carapace marked with a reticulate pattern of yellow to orange lines. They grow up to 25.4 cm long. The plastron is solid yellow and they have yellow stripes on their legs. Females are typically 1.5 times larger than males. Males have thicker tails, longer front claws, and more compressed shells than do females. ("Chicken Turtle", 2005; Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994; Gibbons and Greene, 1978)

Gibbons and Greene (1978) described patterns of growth in chicken turtles. Younger chicken turtles grow proportionally faster than adults but age at maximum size is not known. Young are 2.5 cm in diameter at hatching. Males mature at 10.2 cm, while females are mature at 17.8 cm. Chicken turtles may grow to a maximum size of 25.4 cm, though the typical adult ranges from 15.3 to 17.8 cm. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994; Gibbons and Greene, 1978)

Chicken turtle embryos go through a period of diapause in the late gastrula stage. They must experience a period of cool temperatures before development proceeds. Eggs hatch in 152 days at 29 degrees Celsius in South Carolina and in 78 to 89 days at 25 to 29 degrees Celsius in Florida. Some eggs may overwinter in the nest before hatching. Incubation temperature influences the sex of the embryos, with a 25 degrees Celsius incubation temperature resulting in all males. Warmer temperatures result in an increase in female embryos, with only 11% becoming males at incubation temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Although size and age are directly related in chicken turtles, some individuals may experience several years of little or no growth, depending on environmental conditions. (Gibbons and Greene, 1978)

Wild chicken turtles in South Carolina have been recaptured up to 15 years after their first capture. Some reached maximum ages of 20 to 24 years. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994; Gibbons and Greene, 1978; Thomas et al., 1997)

Chicken turtles are regularly encountered on land, either migrating between aquatic habitats or seeking areas to burrow into the soil and escape dry conditions. Males generally move farther than females. In South Carolina activity on land is highest in March and April. Chicken turtles spend much of their time basking and active turtles have been recorded with cloacal temperatures of 25.5 to 25.6 degrees Celsius. Chicken turtles hibernate in the soft mud and vegetation of bodies of water in the northern parts of their range. Florida chicken turtles remain active throughout the year. They are active during the day. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Home Range

A single, marked chicken turtle moved 612 meters in a period of 8 months. Otherwise, there is little information on home ranges in chicken turtles, some researchers have suggested that movement is random or directional. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Males use tactile communication to make females receptive to copulation. As in most turtles, chicken turtles use vision, touch, and chemical cues to perceive their environment. They are wary when basking.

Chicken turtles are omnivorous, though they are somewhat more carnivorous than other turtle species. During their first year of life they may be almost completely carnivorous. Chicken turtles in South Carolina were found to be completely carnivorous during June and July (Buhlmann and Demuth, 1997). They eat primarily crustaceans, aquatic insects, tadpoles, fish, and plants. Chicken turtles use their well-developed hyoid apparatus to create suction that pulls food items into their throats. ("Chicken Turtle", 2005; Buhlmann and Demuth, 1997)

Eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus) are a significant predator of chicken turtle nests (Allen et al., 2005). Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are potential predators (Buhlmann, 1995). (Buhlmann and Mitchell, 2003; Buhlmann, 1995; Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Chicken turtles are both predators and prey. They impact populations of aquatic insects, crustaceans, tadpoles, and aquatic vegetation. (Buhlmann, 1995)

There are no negative impacts of chicken turtles on humans. (Buhlmann and Mitchell, 2003; Peacock, 2000)

Chicken turtles were once found in the food markets of the southern United States for their meat. Their common name, "chicken" turtle, refers to their taste. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)

Chicken turtle populations are currently considered stable throughout their range, although they do face potential threats. Habitat destruction reduces suitable habitat for foraging, migration, and hibernation. Chicken turtles are sometimes killed on roads as they migrate between habitats. Hunting for food also impacts populations of chicken turtles. (Buhlmann and Mitchell, 2003)

Chicken turtle fossils are known from the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and recent sites in Florida. (Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994)