This month’s Critter Corner is an extension of a story we featured in our Fall/Winter newsletter. If you’re not on our snail mailing list, check out our newsletter here. 

Meet our newest education ambassador: all two inches of her!

This charming Eastern Mud Turtle joined the Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary team in the most unusual way. This fall, we received a call from a restaurant staffer at Wintergreen in Nellysford, who had rescued the tiny turtle from a bag of soon-to-be-cooked crawfish. 😮

It turns out that both this Eastern Mud Turtle and the crawfish had been caught off the coast of Louisiana and shipped to Virginia. Despite being repeatedly chilled in and out of refrigerators, she defied the odds and survived the journey north!

Though Eastern Mud Turtles are native to Virginia, this particular individual was not. After consulting with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, we had two choices: humanely euthanize her or welcome her as a new ambassador. The decision was easy, and so was naming her: meet Gumbo!

Gumbo has since been charming staff and visitors alike. We can’t wait to feature her in future educational programs, where she’ll teach audiences about turtles, wildlife conservation, and the importance of sustainable fishing.

But what makes Eastern Mud Turtles so special? What the shell do they do during the winter? Let’s dig in!

Eastern Mud Turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum) are small, semi-aquatic turtles native to the southeastern United States. Adults typically measure just 3-5 inches in length once fully grown. 🥲 Gumbo’s size indicates she is likely no older than two years old, though they can live 20-40 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity! They have a smooth, domed shell that ranges in color from olive to dark brown and often sports a yellowish underside. Unlike many other turtles, mud turtles lack bold markings, but we think they are beautiful nonetheless.

Mud turtles are generalists in multiple ways. They thrive in a variety of wetland habitats such as ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams. They are omnivorous, feasting on insects, small aquatic animals, carrion (dead critters), and plant matter. True to their name, these turtles are often found burrowed in mud or leaf litter. There, they can hide from predators and regulate their body temperature. Their camouflage is impressive. We often have to spend some time trying to find Gumbo in her own enclosure! 🤣

Like the rest of our wild neighbors, Eastern Mud Turtles must cope with winter. They do so through brumation, which is similar to mammalian hibernation. Being ectothermic (cold-blooded) creatures, reptiles like Eastern Mud Turtles rely on external temperatures to regulate their body heat. As a result, lower outdoor temperatures mean lower internal temperatures for these animal. 

Brumation preparation is dependent on a species’ natural history. Terrestrial reptile species like box turtles and snakes typically dig about two feet below ground so they’re safely below the frost line.  Semi-aquatic species like Eastern Mud Turtles typically seek out sandy substrates or densely covered soil near water. Aquatic species brumate completely underwater, beneath the sediment of ponds or marshes. Regardless of a reptile’s natural brumation location, they’ll endure metabolic changes that are nothing short of miraculous.

Once settled in their brumation spot, a turtle will slow their bodily functions to a remarkable extent. 🥶 Their body temperature on average will drop to just 39 degrees Fahrenheit, and a typical aquatic turtle’s blood oxygen levels will drop to near zero within hours of being submerged. That oxygen level would kill a human within three to four minutes! An aquatic turtle, like a Painted Turtle or Common Snapping Turtle, can survive at that level for three to four months if necessary. 

We simply must share how these aquatic turtles survive such low oxygen conditions: their behinds. 😮 Uh huh, you read that right. Some species like Painted Turtles can take in oxygen without needing to breathe by moving freshwater across their more vascularized bits of skin. One part of a turtle especially flush with vessels is its anus! Yup, some turtles essentially breathe through their butts in the winter. Nature sure is wacky and wonderful.

For education ambassador turtles like Gumbo, brumation isn’t necessary.  Instead, she’ll spend winter warm and cozy, enjoying a temperature-controlled environment in our reception area that mimics her ideal natural conditions. 🥰

Gumbo’s story touches on so many themes that are vital to our education programming at RWS. She highlights the resilience and adaptability of our wild neighbors and the importance of calling a professional when you encounter wild animals in need. Gumbo also reminds us of how human activities can have unintended consequences. When we interact with one animal’s habitat, like a crawfish’s, we’re actually impacting dozens of other species who call that place home. 🦞

Indeed, Gumbo’s crawfish misadventure serves as a cautionary tale about bycatch (non-target species) in fishing industries. 🐟 Researchers estimate that up to 40% of the world’s annual fishing catch may be bycatch, and up to 22% of the catch in the United States is discarded each year. If you’re a fan of seafood, there are easy ways to support vulnerable animals like Gumbo!

• Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch tool to find the best seafood options for the planet.
• Buy local when you can! This can of course be difficult in Central Virginia, but keep in mind when visiting farmers markets or traveling that, generally, buying directly from a fisherman will be the more sustainable choice.
• When possible, prioritize eating organically farmed fish which are a good alternative to wild-caught and create less pollution than non-organic fish farms.  
• Eat lower on the food chain. Generally, prey species like mackerel and sardines are more resilient to fishing pressure due to their shorter lifespans and higher reproductive rate.

Though RWS is far from the shore, Gumbo the mud turtle reminds us that our choices as humans can have far-reaching effects. So here’s to Gumbo, a little turtle with a big educational impact!

Help us welcome Gumbo to the RWS team by making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you for supporting our lifesaving work for vital critters like Gumbo.