Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Pet Stores in Burlington, VT. The spotted is found in 19 other states, also primarily in the east and as far south as Florida. Turtles eat a combination of vegetables, turtle food and, depending on the species, insects. Their habitat should include mostly water, plus a bit of land for basking. Vermont State Reptile: Painted Turtle. Identification . Eastern Spiny Softshell Apalone spinifera spinifera All native species of turtles in Vermont are protected and may not be taken or possessed 1. Female turtles are looking for places to deposit their eggs, sometimes choosing to lay them along the shoulders of roads, which can bring them into the path of It is illegal to remove from the wild any native species. 7 turtle species; 1 lizard species (Five-lined skink) Vermont may have lost one species in recent times, the boreal chorus frog, last heard in 1999. MONTPELIER — Vermont’s turtles are on the move this spring, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Eastern Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta picta. Turtles need a minimum 30-gallon size aquarium with a screened top. Aside from Vermont, Wood turtles are found in 16 other states (mostly in the northeast). Just three distinct populations are known, and only one of those is stable. State Threatened. Turtles in Burlington on YP.com. Common Map Turtle Graptemys geographica. Vermont’s population of rare spotted turtles is small and found only in the southern and central parts of the state. Laws About Wild Turtles in Vermont . Please report all sightings of this species in Vermont. Their shell acts as protection, but since the ribs are fused to the shell, the turtle cannot expand its chest to breathe but must force air in and out of the lungs by alternately contracting the flank and shoulder muscles. The Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera spinifera) is a medium to large aquatic turtle found in Lake Champlain and the lower reaches of some tributaries with concentrations occurring in Missisquoi Bay and the Lamoille River.It was state-listed as threatened in Vermont in 1987, nationally listed as threatened in Canada in 1991 and as threatened in Québec in 1999. The Snapping Turtle is probably the most common turtle in Vermont. The carapace (shell covering the back) is shallowly domed with a strongly toothed posterior margin (see photo below). Painted turtles are brightly marked. Vermont Native Species. No person shall take or possess Chelydra serpentina Snapping Turtle, Chrysemys picta Painted Turtle, Clemmys guttata Spotted Turtle, 1 National Life Drive Davis 2 Montpelier, VT 05620-3702 802-828-1000 fwinformation@vermont.gov They have a smooth shell about 90 to 250 mm long. Contact Us. The Wood Turtle has been designated a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (high priority) in Vermont’s Wildlife Action Plan, and is a species of special concern in Vermont. The plastron (shell covering the belly) is narrow, leaving the turtle’s flesh always partially exposed.It is uniformly grayish brown with no colorful markings, spots, or stripes. Of the 40 reptile and amphibian species in Vermont, 19 are considered rare, uncommon, or otherwise at-risk, and their populations are documented in the Vermont Natural Heritage Database. Common Musk Turtle (Stinkpot) Sternotherus odoratus Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina.