There are currently some 57 turtle species living in the United States and Canada, 12 of which can be found right here in Connecticut -- including some sea turtles!
Chances are, you’ve probably seen a few of them poking around a nearby pond or basking on some sunlit rocks. Perhaps you’ve even rescued a few from the peril of oncoming traffic.
But there’s a lot more to these terrestrial critters than meets the eye.
Contained within their hard shells is a genetic key to over 200 million years of evolutionary history -- much of which has remained a mystery to scientists and researchers. Well, until now, that is.
This hour, we look at some new turtle research that might just surprise you and find out more about how these reptiles are faring in our state.
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GUESTS:
- Daniel Field - Doctoral candidate in geology and geophysics at Yale; predoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History
- Dennis Quinn - Environmental ecologist who specializing in reptile and amphibian research; herpetologist with the DEEP; founder of CTHerpConsultant, LLC
- Chuck Landrey - Executive Director of the Turtle Conservation Project
This show originally aired on May 16, 2014.
