Beavers Create Turtle Habitat

To celebrate, here are a few of the ways that beavers, and the wetlands they create, help turtles:

  • Spotted turtles in Ontario prefer newly flooded areas and congregate in beaver ponds in the springtime where courting pairs are observed. (Yagi & Litzgus 2012)
  • Red-bellied turtles, especially juveniles, use beaver-created ponds. (Swarth 1999)
  • Abandoned beaver ponds (which are more shallow and may dry up seasonally) in Pennsylvania provide habitat for spotted, painted, and snapping turtles. (Gray 2004)
  • Blanding’s turtles use the shallow wetland habitat created by beavers. (Markle and Chow-Fraser 2014)
  • Beaver wetlands in South Carolina increased overall reptile abundance and diversity. (Metts, Lanham, & Russell 2001)
  • Beaver lodges and the submerged branches and other woody debris associated with them provide shelter and egg-laying sites for common musk turtles. (Belleau 2008)

Do you know about any research we can add to this list? Please reach out!

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