The wood turtle is a unique, North American turtle that can be found in much of the northeastern United States as well as parts of Michigan and Minnesota, and southeastern Canada. They live in wooded areas and spend most of their time in the water of streams and creeks. These streams are critical for many parts of the wood turtles’ lives, but are especially important in the winter. As the weather becomes colder at the end of autumn, wood turtles will bury themselves in the deep, soft mud at the bottom of the stream where they will hibernate safely throughout the winter and re-emerge in the spring.

The wood turtle’s dependence on this specific habitat type leaves it vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation, and the IUCN currently lists them as “Endangered” with a decreasing population. They are also vulnerable to poaching - when humans unsustainably take them from the wild to sell into the pet trade and other markets. Luckily, you can see the wood turtles at Iguanaland all year round, since southwest Florida does not get cold enough in the winter to cause them to go into hibernation!