The Chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) is a turtle native to the southeastern United States. It is the only extant member of the genus Deirochelys and is a member of the freshwater marsh turtle family Emydidae. The Chicken turtle's scientific name refers to its extremely long neck and distinctive net-like pattern on its upper shell. Like many reptiles, it spends much of the day basking in the sun to regulate its body temperature, but unlike most other aquatic turtles, it hibernates over the winter months except in the warmer, southernmost reaches of its range.
The Chicken turtle has an unusually long neck that is close to the length of its shell. It often also has black blotches on the underside of the bridge (the part of the shell connecting the carapace and plastron). The carapace of the Chicken turtle is elongated and pear-shaped, with the rear half noticeably wider than the front. It ranges from dark green to brown in color and features a distinctive yellowish net-like pattern across its entire upper surface. The scutes of the upper shell have a ridged or wrinkled texture and are rough to the touch. Beneath its shell, the Chicken turtle has particularly slender ribs, supposedly developed to accommodate its long, muscular neck. The shell of hatchlings is much rounder than the adults', and the shell and skin are considerably brighter in color, with a greater number of light stripes. The young of the Western chicken turtle hatches with the distinctive dark markings on its plastron already present.
Chicken turtles are found throughout the southeastern United States. Their range extends from the Atlantic coastal plain and states such as North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida westward through the Gulf plain towards the Mississippi River. They usually remain in coastal areas and are largely absent from the Piedmont plateau and more mountainous regions in the north of these states. West of the river, the territory of Chicken turtles reaches as far north as Missouri and as far west as Oklahoma and central Texas. They like quiet, still, or slow-moving bodies of water such as shallow ponds, oxbow lakes, drainage ditches, borrow pits, marshes, swales, cypress swamps, and Carolina bays. Generally, Chicken turtles prefer water with a maximum depth of around 70 cm (2.3 ft), but may inhabit ponds up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep. They rarely inhabit moving water such as streams or rivers, but may sometimes colonize quieter rivulets or pools in the riparian zone. Furthermore, they favor fresh water, avoiding brackish water wherever possible.
Chicken turtles are semiaquatic, being home both in wetland habitats and on land. They are usually active in the morning and late afternoon, either side of the warmest hours of the day. Like all reptiles, Chicken turtles are cold-blooded and must regulate their body temperature. The main way they do this is through basking; they will spend many hours in the sun and can often be seen sitting on logs or tree stumps with their neck outstretched. They are extremely wary while basking and can be startled easily. Some may bite and scratch in response to threats while others are more timid and retiring. Males may display particularly hostile behavior towards each other. Chicken turtles hibernate in winter throughout the northern part of their range. They leave the water in late September to find a suitable site for the winter, usually either in mud or vegetation around the edges of the ponds and swamps which they inhabit. They may also bury themselves under fallen leaves in surrounding woodlands or in the mud at the bottom of a pond. Hibernating turtles remain out of the water for up to 6 months before becoming active again in the spring. They are able to spend long periods on land without feeding due to their large stores of body fat. In the southernmost part of its range where winters are milder, Chicken turtles remain active all year round apart from on especially cool days. They usually come out on land during the summer months when the temporary wetlands they inhabit dry out. Males especially wander onto the land during this period and may travel great distances in search of alternative water, whereas gravid females remain in the wetland as long as possible. Turtles unable to find a suitable aquatic habitat during particularly dry years may migrate to higher ground and burrow into the earth to undergo aestivation, a period of dormancy similar to hibernation. They may return to the same terrestrial refugia from one year to the next. In total, a chicken turtle may spend up to 285 days per year on the land.
Chicken turtles are omnivores. They prey on crayfish, invertebrates, tadpoles, and also eat vegetation and carrion, including dead fish and other animals. Young of this species are almost completely carnivorous during the first year of their lives.
Chicken turtles are polygynandrous (promiscuous) meaning that both the males and the females have multiple partners during the mating season which varies by location. In Florida they mate during the hottest months of summer, while in South Carolina and the slightly cooler climate of Missouri this occurs in the late spring and early summer months, roughly May through July. In Texas, courtship may take place in the early spring (February to April) or fall (September to November). Females nest on land, often in loose soil, but sometimes in the heavier ground. They dig out a cylindrical cavity usually close to the water, although females are known to wander up to 280 m (306 yd) in search of suitable sites. Once the nest is ready, the female deposits a clutch of between 1-19 eggs. Several minutes after laying, the female will fill in her nest, sweeping the dirt over the eggs with her hind legs until they are covered. Chicken turtles commonly lay 2 clutches of eggs per year, although in the uninterrupted nesting season of Florida, females have been known to produce as many as 4. The incubation period is again dependent on location and temperature. In the warmer climate of Florida, incubation takes 78-89 days in the wild, while in South Carolina it may last up to 152 days. When it is ready to emerge from the egg, the hatchling breaks through the shell using its egg tooth, a sharp, thornlike projection on its beak. Chicken turtles born in the fall commonly remain in the nest over winter before emerging in the spring. Very young hatchlings are almost circular, although as they grow their shell becomes less rounded and more elongated. The young grow rapidly until they reach reproductive maturity, which occurs after approximately 2-3 years for males, and around 6-8 years for females. The turtle continues to grow after reaching maturity, although considerably more slowly.
Habitat loss is the most significant threat to the Chicken turtle populations. Human activity is one cause of this; the turtle's preferred wetland habitats are often converted for agriculture, such as rice farming, or building developments. In Missouri and Arkansas in particular, the destruction of swampland and bottomland hardwood forests is a direct threat to the chicken turtle. Man-made obstacles such as fences and road barriers can also lead to populations becoming isolated. Since it prefers to live in small, shallow bodies of water that can easily dry out during the hotter months, the Chicken turtle is also susceptible to the loss of upland habitats surrounding wetlands to which it migrates during periods of drought. Fire is a further threat; wildfires are becoming increasingly common and while controlled burns can help to protect wetland habitats by decreasing the risk of wildfire, Chicken turtles that are overwintering on land or have been forced onto the land during drier months can be caught up in them. This species is also frequently hunted and collected from its natural habitat.
Presently, the Chicken turtle is not included in the IUCN Red List and its conservation status has not been evaluated. According to the Wikipedia resource, the total population size of this species is around 100,000 mature individuals.
