Turtlesinger, Inc.


is a Federal 501(c)3 Public Charity - New Jersey Charities Registration # CH2998200
Mission Statement: To educate and entertain the public about turtles with original songs and/or live turtles.



August 27, 2022



Keeping Our Eyes Peeled for These Tiny Treasures



This video demonstrates that these little hatchlings are so tiny, they almost look like little bugs! We saw many wonderful creatures that day, but today we’re focusing only on the marvelous mud turtles we saw.


“Hello, precious little warrior” I said as I approached him/her. At the end of the video, I touch the turtle gently to see if it will demonstrate how they often typically move across the road. To see another mud turtle from that day using this type of motion, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Popping Along



One way we spot these tiny turtles is because they sort of “pop” and jump along!


One reason may be because the family of mud, musk and snapping turtles actually tend to walk along the bottom of water that tends to be shallow instead of deep. Like hippos, they walk along the bottom although they do have webbing on their feet to aid in moving through the water.


For a few more baby mud turtle perspectives on the roads, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Still as Stone and Looks Like a Stone!



We often confuse stones and baby mud turtles on the roads.


We also often see poor dead baby mud turtles run over on these roads.


It’s easy to see that if you were not watching for them how easy it would be to run them over while driving.


To read about an involuntary way Canada geese could be helping these baby mud turtles, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Turtle…or Poop?



We have found more Canada geese at the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area in recent years, and we often think we see a baby mud turtle on the road…but it turns out to be: goose poop!


We can only hope other predators looking for these tiny turtles also get confused and that this might also help the baby mud turtles blend in as they cross the roads, too!


For a “talkie” and the first baby mud turtle we saw that day, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



This one’s a “talkie” video!



Turn up your sound volume to listen to me talk about this wondrous little reptile.


For a closeup of a tiny baby mud turtle in my hands, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Perfection in the Palm of My Hand



It is amazing to ponder these tiny, completely independent turtles!


We call them “baby” turtles but they are really miniature grownups who never need or see parents and are completely equipped to deal with life when they emerge from their eggs and nests.


That being said, being able to outrun a car is not one of their special adaptations, so helping a turtle cross the road IN THE DIRECTION THEY ARE HEADING (turtles large or small) is always a wonderful thing we can do to help turtles.


We love their orange bellies!


For another closeup of a tiny baby mud turtle in my hands, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Small But Mighty



This turtle is has a tiny, sharp beak of a mouth. While working as a reptile zookeeper, I had been careless in the amount of time I was taking holding a mud turtle while talking to another reptile keeper, and the mud turtle had finally had enough and bit me in the flesh between my thumb and forefinger. I screamed because the pain was so immediate and intense—I likened it to a bee sting. Reptiles can look completely calm but can bite at any moment, so proceed with caution whenever handling one!


For a closer look at this tiny turtle, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



The Best Things Come in Small Packages



In this photo, you can see the tiny white “egg tooth” on the turtle’s nose. This single tooth is the only tooth a turtle will ever have, and are only found on hatchlings because they use this tooth to help carve their way out of their eggshell.


Children in our Turtlesinger audiences are always impressed that turtles only have this one tooth that falls off fairly soon, that they don’t need teeth to eat, AND that they never need to see a dentist!


The presence of an egg tooth on this overwintered hatchling may mean it overwintered inside the egg and recently hatched before digging out of the nest.


We hope you’re not tired of seeing baby mud turtles yet! If not, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



A Closer Look



Here’s a closeup shot of this amazing, tiny mud turtle.


We’re lucky the roads here are such a burnt orange color, because they help us spot these tiny black mud turtle hatchlings. That being said, you can see in this picture the same orange dirt clinging to this hatchling’s shell, probably from digging out of the nest. Once again, this can help them camouflage while crossing the roads, but makes it harder to look for them while driving a car.


For another “talkie” at Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area with yet another perspective on one of the tiny mud turtles we found, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Wind in My Mic



When you listen to this video, a little of the dialogue is hard to hear due to the wind, and what I said was: AND WE FOUND ANOTHER BABY MUD TURTLE slightly smaller than the one we found before!


You might have noticed this tiny turtle’s legs moving at the end of the video—that’s this little fellow breathing, pumping the air in and out of his lungs after having his head pulled in.


For a video of this adorable creature in my hand, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



So Tiny!



Here’s another perspective of this tiny, perfect turtle in my hand. The sound for this video was moot—but I will tell you I said during it that he looked fat lol! It’s good to find hatchlings that are well fortified, plump and roundish vs. dried out and skinny, for their challenging first few days/weeks/months ahead! Turtles who have recently hatched also have a short-term rounded appearance from being curled up in an egg!


To watch this tiny turtle move about on my hand, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Wonder in the Palm of My Hand



I never fail to marvel at the absolute tiny tail, 4 feet and head of tiny mud turtles!


Enjoy watching this one move about briefly on my hand.


Healthy turtles are usually able to right themselves when on their backs as this one does using its head and neck.


To see this baby turtle using the “popping” motion we showed you previously with another baby mud turtle, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Picked up Speed



This little fellow may have warmed up in my hand as he seems to have picked up speed and even starts “popping” or jumping along near the end. He shies away from the camera near the end as he may have seen his own reflection and decided to turn away. Our own personal turtles usually have a reaction to a closeup camera, maybe because they see their own reflection.


We’re not sure if other predators spot these tiny turtles because they jump along or not. Sometimes we’ve seen vultures stopping in the roads ahead of us and we wonder if they’re grabbing up these tiny turtles. If the tiny turtles try to move quickly, they can be spotted by predators. Other times, they freeze are are completely still, hoping lack of movement will keep them from being spotted. But then they’re sort of sitting ducks for a predator, too. It’s not easy being a turtle hatchling!


For another belly (or in turtle language, “plastron”) shot, SCROLL DOWN…



August 27, 2022



Belly Up



Here’s the third baby mud turtle we found that day, belly up in Charlie’s hand.


This one doesn’t look quite as plump as the last one.


What a day that was for finding baby mud turtles!


For a photo of a mud turtle that is NOT a hatchling, SCROLL DOWN. . .



August 27, 2022



They’re Getting Bigger!



We found not only baby mud turtles, but older mud turtles like this one also crossing the road.


For a video “talkie” of this mud turtle encounter, SCROLL DOWN. . .



August 27, 2022



About As Big As It Gets



Sorry the wind got in our mics again as I narrated this video—I just said in that part that we were seeing both baby and adult mud turtles. We’re delighted we finally got to share with you these incredible and wonderful spring 2022 turtles from the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area!


We promise our next blog will be about something different…and we’re attempting a very scaled-down version of what we do with Live Turtle Encounters in Stone Harbor this afternoon (a Charlie The Turtletoter “back-friendly” event)! This basically means Karen The Turtlesinger is also temporarily now The Turtletoter! Thanks as always for reading and sharing the wonders of Cape May County and southern New Jersey with us today!





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turtlesinger@hotmail.com | Phone: (609) 205-9248