snapping turtle – Urban Biotic Assessment Program (UBAP)

Rising temperatures could benefit the Snapping Turtle.

Photo by Jason P. Ross

Rising temperatures could benefit the Common Snapping Turtle. CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — A recently published study of snapping turtle nests at Gimlet Lake in Garden County Nebraska from 1990 – 2015 found that warmer fall temperatures positively correlate to larger eggs and larger numbers of eggs, while warmer spring temperatures are negatively correlated with egg size… Continue reading Rising temperatures could benefit the Snapping Turtle.

Team finds first wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois since 1984

Chris Phillips and Ethan Kessler with Alligator Snapping Turtle

UBAP staff are part of the team that found a wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois, the first one seen since 1984. Currently working as part of a reintroduction program, Chris Phillips found the turtle while trying to locate a radio-tagged individual they had released in the area. Read the complete story at: Illinois News… Continue reading Team finds first wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois since 1984

Turtle Research at Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference 2026
Half of the INHS PaCE Lab presentations at this year’s Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference were about turtles, with 5 oral presentations and 1 poster presentation. Devin Edmonds presented “Ditch Turtles: Movement and Habitat Selection of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) at the Southern Edge of their Distribution” co-authored with Ethan Kessler and Michael Dreslik. Habitat […]
Snakes in Winter at Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference 2026
Three of the 10 presentations by the INHS PaCE Lab were part of the Snakes in Winter Symposium organized by Bruce Kingsbury. Dr. Dreslik presented “Fidelity to Over-wintering Refugia in the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)” with co-authors Emily L. Sunnucks and Zander E. Perelman. Colder seasons associated with latitude or elevational changes often influence the […]
Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference 2026
INHS PaCE Lab made a huge contribution to the 2026 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference with 10 oral presentations and 2 posters. While two herp symposia were dominated by the PaCE Lab, “Snakes in Winter” and “Research to Inform Management: Conservation of Freshwater Turtles and Other Threatened Amphibians and Reptiles in the Midwest,” ornithologist Asya […]