Turtles Of Montana
By Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer
Spiny softshelled turtle
Spiney softshelled turtle on the Yellowstone River captured during the turtle research project in 2004.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is poised to capture the secrets of one of the most elusive and unusual of Montana’s turtle species, the spiny softshell. Softshell turtles are common in the U.S., but in Montana there are only two populations that inhabit the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers and their tributaries. These two populations are isolated from other spiny softshell populations in the U.S. and have been further isolated from one another by construction of Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River.
Montana’s softshell turtles have an important story to tell and soon we will be hearing from them.
"We know very little about these turtles. We need to learn more about when they breed, when they move, how far they move, how they survive over a Montana winter, how many of them there are—and yet they’ve been here for so long there are even fossil remains in the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman," said Arnie Dood, FWP’s endangered species coordinator.
Dood believes that a species that has adapted to so many changes in a major river system has a lot to say about how those changes have affected it and others in the river community, such as pallid sturgeon (endangered), juvenile fish of a variety of species, and interior least terns (endangered), to name a few.
Montana isn’t particularly known for its turtles. Anglers on Montana’s streams, lakes and rivers may see one of three species—the painted, snapping and softshell. Of the three, the softshell turtle is the most secretive. It has a shell that feels like wet leather and an almost snorkel-like nose. Its long, flexible neck allows it to position its eyes and nose just above the surface of the water. Some sources say this turtle may live up to 50 years.
Dood spearheaded the study of Montana’s softshell turtles in 2004 working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, PPL Montana , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. Fisheries and wildlife biologists are working together on the study to a unique degree. Montana’s recently completed fish and wildlife action plan seeks just such projects that benefit common species, including those pursued by hunters and anglers, while helping to keep other species healthy.
"Softshell turtles give us a place to focus our study of how changes in water temperature, volume of water, and river behavior--including whether a river continues to be able to create and wipe away sandbars—may be affecting the species in that habitat and what can be done to lessen negative impacts and prevent these species from eventually becoming threatened or endangered," Dood said.
That focus began with the trapping and tagging of nearly 1,000 turtles. The turtles now bear an identifying number linked to records on their size, weight, apparent sex, and where they were tagged. FWP has also been able to identify the relative abundance of the softshell turtle in locations where they are found and locations where, at least today, they are not found.
Over time, as the tagged turtles are sighted again and again, their age may be tracked along with movement patterns and possible causes of mortality.
"We’re asking anglers who accidentally catch one of these tagged turtles to release them after noting the identification number and then to report the number and the location where the turtle was found to the nearest FWP region office," Dood said.
Biologists have also outfitted about 75 softshell turtles with radio transmitters to track their movement and follow up on the cause of any mortalities.
"The exciting thing is that the people who are in a position to make positive change in Montana’s river system—The bureau of Reclamation, PPL, BLM, USFS, FWP-- are all part of this project. As we learn about, for example, how water temperature impacts the turtles, we are collectively in a position to identify modifications to how things are done that may actually improve the river environment for all species," Dood said. "About $15,000 annually for five years has positioned us to identify critical ways to improve some of the state’s most important aquatic habitat."
For more on turtles in Montana see the Montana online field guide at fwp.mt.gov under Guides and Planners.
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