Happy World Turtle Day! On this special day we wanted to put a spotlight on these incredible reptiles. Texas is home to 28 different species of turtles, meaning that a little under ½ of the turtle species in the United States call Texas home. Within these 28 species, there is wonderful diversity in what these turtles are like. While most Texas turtles live in riverbeds and are vegetarians, some are carnivorous, and their habitats can range from the Gulf to Texas’s pastures and prairies.  Even their lifespan can vary wildly, as depending on the species, turtles can live anywhere from 30 to over 100 years. The diversity of this wonderful animal can be fully seen through highlighting three thrilling turtles: the Big Bend Turtle, the Leatherback Sea Turtle, and the Ornate Box Turtle.

To start us off, we have the Big Bend Slider. These turtles live in Big Bend National Park and elsewhere in the Rio Grande flood plain. They can be found in ponds and rivers with muddy bottoms and aquatic vegetation. They like to take it easy and sunbathe in the Texas sun. They do this as turtles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, so they rely on the temperature around them to help regulate their body temperature. For that reason, sunbathing is vital for keeping them warm. When warm sun rays are not available in the winter months, their warmth strategy shifts as they will bury themselves in the loose soil or mud of lakes to escape the cold. When startled, they live up to their name and slide off the rocks and logs into the water. If you want to see them in person, these turtles can be identified by their orange-yellow oval spots behind their eyes. 

Moving from the Rio Grande Floodplain to the Gulf, we can find the Leatherback Sea Turtle. With an average weight of 1,300 pounds and a carapace(the upper part of the turtle’s shell) length of up to 8 feet, these turtles are some of the largest living reptiles. They swim throughout the Gulf, eating up jellyfish and tunicates(a marine invertebrate), returning to land to nest in the fall and winter.  These fellas are impressive swimmers as their deepest recorded dive neared 4,000 ft. They are unique among turtles as they are the only turtle species that lack scales and a hard shell, as their backs are tough and rubbery. While these animals are majestic, they are currently endangered due to disturbances to their nesting grounds, which hurts their ability to take care of their eggs, and plastic pollution, which poses a significant health threat since they will sometimes confuse plastic floating in the Gulf with jellyfish and try to eat it. 

People can see baby leatherback turtles and other baby sea turtles in person by going to sea turtle hatchling releases. In June, the National Park Service puts these on at beaches such as Padre Island. They provide an opportunity for individuals to see baby sea turtles make their way to the Gulf.

Moving to the land, the ornate box turtles can be found across Texas pastures and prairies. This turtle bucks convention, as while turtles are usually distinguished from their land-based brethren, the tortoise, by living in or near bodies of water, the Ornate Box Turtle lives on land. In fact it is one of the only two terrestrial turtle species in North America. It is a small turtle, usually four to five inches long, that is able to enclose itself entirely in its shell. That said, despite their small size, they are ferocious burrowers, as in the winter, in open native prairie, they can burrow upwards of 30 inches into the ground to keep warm. 

Threats To Our Turtles 

Our Texas Turtles are facing many different challenges to their livelihoods. For one, overfishing presents a significant problem to turtles as they are often caught by fishers who do not take the proper precautions to ensure that turtles are safe. Over 250,000 turtles die each year after being caught in fisheries around the world. In addition, habitat loss poses a significant threat to the turtle population, as many of the coastlines that sea turtles rely on for laying their eggs are often lost to development. 

The difficulties turtles face are also evolving due to climate change. In unprecedentedly cold seasons brought by climate change, turtles can become stunned due to being endothermic(cold-blooded). This puts turtles at greater risk of being killed by predators. With these threats mounting five different species of turtles in Texas are now either endangered or threatened 

Helping Out Our Turtles

People can call on our government to pass the Sea Turtle Rescue Act to combat these difficulties. This bill would provide $5,000,000 each year for research of sea turtles and efforts dedicated to the rescue and recovery of sea turtles. This bill would be vital for helping Texas sea turtles, as it would improve our understanding of the threats these turtles face. In addition, it would mitigate the number of sea turtles killed each year by extreme cold by funding the  transport of sea turtles made lethargic by the cold to the ocean and by giving grants to veterinarians to provide care for turtles who are injured by plastic or other factors.

The Sea Turtle Rescue Act has widespread bipartisan support. In 2024, it passed the House with a vote of 332 – 82. Despite that support, it still died during the 118th Congress since it was never voted on in the Senate. That said, with the proper advocacy, it could pass this year. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) already reintroduced this bill in March of this year however, it now faces a new threat as it is currently stalling out in committee. People can help prevent this vital bill from being lost again by emailing their representative about their support for the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act.

Turtles can be even further supported through policies that would protect their habitat. These efforts could include policies to protect our coastline, as they are a key nesting ground for sea turtles. Right now, we can work to protect our coastlines by supporting bills like the “Defend Our Coast Act” and the “COAST Anti-Drilling Act”. These acts would defend the United States’ coasts from offshore oil drills, reducing the chance of oil spills and development that could negatively affect these turtles’ homes. 

Lending A Hand To The Turtles We See

Individuals can even further support turtles through actions in our personal lives. To start, we can be conscious of turtles while driving. A common threat to turtles is being run over on Texas roadways. A&M researchers found that on a single stretch of road spanning an East Texas lake an average of over 200 turtles died each year due to incidents involving motor vehicles 

Turtle road crossings most commonly happen on rural roads near lakes. Turtles will most commonly cross these roads from March to July to look for a mate. Because of this, when crossing these roads in spring and early summer, it is important to look out for our semi-aquatic friends.  It is especially vital to be conscious of turtles while driving alongside US 190 in East Texas, as 190 has one of the highest recorded rates of turtle deaths caused by vehicles in Texas. In addition to being conscientious on the road, if it is safe, individuals can also help turtles cross our roads by adhering to the tips provided by the National Park Service website.

To prevent these deaths, Texas could invest in turtle tunnels – passageways built underneath roadways that provide a safe route for turtles and other wildlife that need to cross the road. In Minnesota, such tunnels have drastically reducing the risk of vehicular collisions. They’re just one type of wildlife crossings which are growing in use.

Beyond that, a simple threat to turtles we can work to avoid is the reckless adoption of turtles. Many pet turtles face serious health risks due to people not being properly educated before adopting them. For that reason, it is important to be cautious before adopting a turtle, and if you do, it is important to ensure that you have the proper education to take care of these fellas. You can learn more about turtles and how to take care of them by working with your local herpetological(Reptile) society or tortoise/turtle rescue program(like the Central Texas Tortoise Rescue).