Aaron C. Gooley

Thesis About Me Resume WV Herp Photos

Herpetology Laboratory, Dept. of Biological Sciences

M.S. Student

Undergrad Degrees

B.S. in Wildlife & Fish Conservation and Management from the University of Rio Grande, 2008

Recreation and Wildlife Technology Associate Degree from Hocking College, 2008

Wildlife Science Associate Degree from Hocking College, 2006

Contact Information:

Phone: 937-286-0806

E-mail: acgooley@yahoo.com

gooley@marshall.edu

Testing the Behavioral Responses of West Virginia Turtles to Roads and Vehicles

Road mortality has been identified as a major threat to many turtle species; however, road crossing speed, road avoidance, response to passing vehicles, and general behavior while crossing roads has never been investigated in turtles. To investigate these factors, Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata), Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene c. carolina), Stinkpots (Sternotherus odoratus), Snapping Turtles (Chelydra s. serpentina), Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), Wood Turtles (Glyptemys incsculpta), and Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) are being collected in West Virginia to test their road-crossing behavior. Each turtle is placed in a release box on the side of a closed 20-foot wide road, released via a pulley-operated door facing the road, and its actions videotaped by an observer in a nearby blind. A vehicle is driven past some of the turtles that begin to cross the road to simulate passing traffic and their response is recorded. Prior to each trial, road surface temperature, air temperature and relative humidity at ground level, and percent cloud cover are recorded. The resulting videos are used to determine the time each specimen took to cross the road, frequency and length of pauses, angle of crossing, and the type and length of response to a passing vehicle if applicable. Following trials, morphometric data and detailed photographs are taken of each specimen and the turtles are released at the original point of capture. To date, trials have been run on over 30 box turtles, over 40 midland painted turtles, 9 stinkpots and 1 snapping turtle. Preliminary results show that aquatic turtles cross roads more quickly than terrestrial ones and most turtles react to passing vehicles by ceasing to move. Terrestrial turtles remain motionless longer than aquatic ones. Future trials will concentrate on these species as well as a limited number of wood turtles and spotted turtles.