Study suggests surly Montana turtles may live to 100 (Spiny Softshell Turtles) via Herp Digest

Karl Puckett, Great Falls Tribune Sept. 1, 2018

A secretive turtle that lives in Montana's Missouri and Yellowstone rivers may live much longer than once thought, possibly as long as 100 years, a new study suggests.

Last summer, NorthWestern Energy, which operates dams on the Missouri River, teamed with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on a population study of spiny softshell turtles on the Missouri River.

"We thought it would be good to set up long-term population monitoring to make sure they are hanging in there and doing alright because they are a fairly sensitive species," said Steve Leathe, hydro license compliance professional with NorthWestern Energy.

The population study began at a 10-mile section of the Missouri River below the Judith River in the Judith Landing area.

In that section, 430 turtles were documented, 250 females and 180 males.

In a 10-mile section of the Missouri River 250 females spiny softshell turtles and 180 males were captured. (Photo: Steve Leathe)

"Probably the most surprising thing was during that work we recaptured 16 different turtles that were tagged in the same area 9 to 10 years ago," Leathe said. "We looked at the growth rate of those turtles. And it suggests these turtles live a lot longer than we ever thought.

"It's quite possible they live to be 50 to 100 years old. We won't know until we continue to track their growth and longevity," Leathe said.

Previously, most people thought the turtles lived 20 to 30 years, Leathe said.

The belief that the turtles may live longer is based on the observed growth rates of the recaptured turtles.

"We're seeing just really slow growth rates and when you project that out it suggests the biggest turtles out there we've handled could be well over 50 years old," Leathe said.

Spiny softshell turtles were captured as part of study in a 10-mile section of the Missouri River in the Judith Landing area. (Photo: Steve Leathe)

The age of fish can be determined by looking at scales which have growth rings but that's not possible with turtles, said Leathe, noting that the only way to verify turtle ages will be to continue the study over decades.

"They are pretty secretive so you don't see them that often," said Leathe, adding the turtles "are really cool.”

"But they are there.”

The latest population study of the elusive spiny softshell dovetails the first ever river-wide survey of the turtle in 2006 and 2008 from Morony Dam 15 miles northeast of Great Falls to Fort Peck Reservoir by PPL, which owned the dams at the time, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

That work found that the highest density of turtles was in an 80-mile core area in the middle of that 200-mile stretch, Leathe said.

Then, from 2010 to 2012, Brian Tornabene, a graduate research assistant at Montana State University at the time, attached transmitters on the turtles and tracked them. The groundbreaking work led to new discoveries about the little-studied turtles including where they nest, lay eggs and hybernate.

The turtle is uniquely adapted to the river and spends almost all of its time in the water.

Its long snout functions as a snorkel so it can lie unnoticed under the surface while breathing through the tip that pokes through the water. Its long neck darts to snatch fish and crayfish. 

In the winter, turtles hibernate underneath the ice, and they're feisty, biting and clawing at researchers who handle them

Leathe invented a  "turtle table," a wooden frame where the turtles can be placed to help keep them under control when they are being measured and tagged.

Steve Leathe invented a "turtle table" that helps to control spiny softshell turtles when they are being tagged and measured. "They are hard to handle," said Leathe, NorthWestern Energy's hydro license compliance professional. (Photo: Courtesy photo)

"They are hard to handle," he said.

As opposed to their hard-shelled cousins, spiny softshell turtles have soft, flat and flexible shells that allow them to swim like rockets through the water.

And the females are much larger than the males, Leathe said. That's called sexual dimorphism, a condition when there are marked dissimilarities in the appearance of the sexes. Males are sometimes 1 to 2 pounds. The largest female that researchers have documented in the Missouri River work weighed 16 pounds.

Steve Leathe of NorthWestern Energy holds two spiny softshell turtles. Males are much smaller than females. (Photo: Courtesy photo)

Helping Tiny Turtles (Spiny Softshell Turtles) Get Ready for Winter - via Herp Digest

Oct 18, 2013 By Melissa Howell - BURLINGTON, Vt. - Early Wednesday morning, ECHO Lake Aquarium received a special delivery.

Steve Parren is with Vermont Fish and Wildlife. Every year, he waits for hundreds of spiny softshell turtles to hatch along the shores of Lake Champlain. The ones that don't, he collects and keeps safe until they do.

"I've got probably 25 eggs," Parren said.

And with all those eggs waiting at home, he's dropping off 14 turtles he collected from eight nests to be looked after until they're ready to be released in June.

"They're gonna get fed really well, they're gonna be warm and toasty and cared for," Parren said.

The turtles are kept in a reservoir and monitored to make sure they're adjusting to their new environment.

"This reservoir is maintained at 65 degrees, the heat lamps will gradually warm it up," said Steve Smith, the director of animal care and facilities at ECHO.

Here, they'll be safe from flooding and hungry predators.

"Raccoons, skunk, foxes, birds will take them," Parren said.

Only 2 percent of all spiny softshell turtles that survive reproduce after 12 years of life. Parren hopes to help increase that number to 5 percent.

"They live, potentially, until they're 60," he said. "They grow every year, they get bigger, they can breed and produce every year."

Parren has done everything from building fences to elevating the nesting grounds to protect the eggs. He usually saves 90 turtles every year. Once they hatch, the turtles have a greater chance of survival at ECHO.

"We're going to watch for good energy levels, make sure they're doing well, watch their consumption, make sure they're eating and once we see that, we'll transfer them to this display," Smith said.

So, as baby turtles in the wild hibernate for the winter, these little guys will be eating and growing, giving them an advantage when it comes to surviving on their own.

Once the baby turtles are ready to be put on display, visitors can interact with them through a video camera and temperature sensor.

Tiny turtles take a big step (Map and Spiny Softshell Turtles in Lake Champlain) – via Herp Digest

Jun 29, 2012 By Cat Viglienzoni- WCAX.com

LAKE CHAMPLAIN - It's a big day for some tiny turtles on Lake Champlain-- they're taking their first strokes out into the water. But when you're a snack-sized turtle, Lake Champlain is a dangerous place.

"And it's kind of like an arms race with the predators," Vt. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Steve Parren said.

It's a race Parren runs in the fall. He has to get to the nests before something else does. Turtle eggs are a treat for foraging raccoons and skunks, and once the turtles hatch, they're vulnerable to other predators.

"And when the predators beat me the ground is littered with shells. I mean they can literally take out every nest on the beach," Parren said.

Vermont is the only New England state with a native spiny softshell turtle population, but the species is threatened. This site, where about 100 or so nest, is one of only two where the turtles breed. Biologists say there used to be more, until development encroached on the shoreline.

"We used to have a population on the Winooski River. That one doesn't exist anymore," Parren said.

An estimated 98 percent of hatchlings never make it to breeding age and many are picked off while they're small and vulnerable. And so Parren and ECHO Lake Aquarium staff are aiming to give these map turtle and softshell babies a head start by collecting them in the fall after they hatch, and then allowing them to grow indoors through the winter instead of hibernating.

"They are the same age. This one was kind of in suspension for about five-six months. So this guy got an extra, well, he's got an extra six months of growth, but it was six months of pampered growth," Parren said.

When these hatchlings were collected in September, they were about the size of a quarter. They don't look much bigger now, but every bit counts as they take their first steps into the lake.

A group of turtle enthusiasts gathered for the big send-off Wednesday, ready to release the youngsters into the waiting waters.

"I love turtles and plus I can't wait for them to be free!" said Logan Martin of Northfield.

Biologists don't know how many will ultimately survive, but they hope their efforts will give these tiny turtles a fighting chance.

"We just know they've won the first round," Parren said.

ECHO staff and biologists requested that we not tell you where the turtles were released, that way they are less likely to be disturbed or accidentally trampled by humans.