Threatened and Endangered Species - Recovery Plans Date
Published: August 1999 Number of Pages: 76 Author(s): David W.
Hays, Kelly R. McAllister, Scott A. Richardson, and Derek W.
Stinson The western pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata) is listed by
Washington State as an endangered species. The species is not
listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. It was
petitioned in 1992 for federal listing, but the Fish and
Wildlife Service found that listing was not warranted in 1993.
This highly aquatic turtle occurs in streams, ponds, lakes, and
permanent and ephemeral wetlands. Although pond turtles spend
much of their lives in water, they require terrestrial habitats
for nesting. They also often overwinter on land, disperse via
overland routes, and may spend part of the warmest months in
aestivation on land. Pond turtles are generally wary, but they
may be seen basking on emergent or floating vegetation, logs,
rocks, and occasionally mud or sand banks. In Washington, the
species overwinters in mud bottoms of lak