About Deirochelys reticularia (Latreille, 1801)
The chicken turtle, Deirochelys reticularia, resembles painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and cooters (genus Pseudemys) in overall appearance, but has an unusually long neck that is nearly as long as its shell. It often also has black blotches on the underside of the shell bridge—the structure connecting the upper carapace and lower plastron—markings that are not present in these similar species. The chicken turtle's carapace is elongated and pear-shaped, with the rear half noticeably wider than the front. It ranges in color from dark green to brown, and features a distinct yellowish net-like pattern across its entire upper surface. The scutes of the upper shell have a ridged or wrinkled texture and feel rough to the touch. Under its shell, the chicken turtle has particularly slender ribs, thought to be adapted to accommodate its long, muscular neck. While the chicken turtle shares some morphological traits with Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), including these elongated ribs and skull shape, DNA analysis confirms the two species are not closely related. Published descriptions disagree on the base color of the chicken turtle's skin, but it is generally reported to be darker than its carapace, and varies from olive to brown to black. One key distinguishing feature of D. reticularia is a broad yellow stripe running along the forelegs. The skin of the neck and head also has light stripes, though these are narrower, while the tail and rear legs have vertical yellow markings. The head itself is elongated with a somewhat pointed snout and no other distinct features, and the foot digits are webbed and tipped with claws. The chicken turtle is small to medium sized compared to other turtle species. Adult carapace length ranges from around 10–25 cm (4–10 in), with an average length of about 13 cm (5 in). The carapace width is roughly 65 percent of its length. Mature chicken turtles show a degree of sexual dimorphism: females are larger and heavier than males, while males have longer, thicker tails. Unlike in painted turtles, there is no difference between the sexes in foreclaw length. Newly hatched chicken turtle hatchlings measure approximately 28–32 mm (1.1–1.3 in) and weigh around 8–9 g (0.28–0.32 oz). Hatchlings have much rounder shells than adults, and both their shell and skin are considerably brighter in color, with a greater number of light stripes. Young western chicken turtles already have the species' distinctive dark plastron markings when they hatch. The chicken turtle is found throughout the southeastern United States. Its range extends from the Atlantic coastal plain, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, westward through the Gulf plain toward the Mississippi River. It tends to stay in coastal areas and is largely absent from the Piedmont plateau and more mountainous regions in the northern parts of these states. West of the Mississippi River, its range reaches as far north as Missouri and as far west as Oklahoma and central Texas. Across its range, the chicken turtle may occupy many hundreds or possibly thousands of separate wetland sites, though populations at any single location are generally small. Chicken turtles are semiaquatic, equally at home in wetland habitats and on land. All three recognized subspecies share similar habitat preferences: they favor 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, the chicken turtle prefers water with a maximum depth of around 70 cm (2.3 ft), but it is known to live in ponds up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep. It rarely lives in moving water such as streams or rivers, but may sometimes colonize quieter rivulets or pools in the riparian zone. It strongly prefers fresh water and avoids brackish water whenever possible. The chicken turtle thrives in water bodies with dense aquatic vegetation and a soft, muddy substrate. These are often ephemeral or temporary wetlands that dry out readily during summer or drought periods. Such habitats tend to lack both fish, which would compete for food, and large potential predators such as alligators. When a wetland dries, chicken turtles migrate onto land, burrowing into soil or hiding under foliage to survive dry conditions. Although they are well adapted to terrestrial life, they rarely leave their original habitat even during extended dry spells, and return to the water once it refills. While the chicken turtle does not generally inhabit islands, isolated populations are known on the Outer Banks barrier islands off North Carolina. These maritime forest habitats dry out easily in summer and can be affected by storms and sea spray, but research on one of these island populations found no meaningful differences in longevity, growth rate or sex ratio between island members and their mainland counterparts.
