Bog Turtle

The Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) is a semi aquatic turtle that is critically endangered. It is native to the Eastern United States. It is the tiniest turtle that lives in the United States at around 4 inches long and weighs in at approximately 4 oz. The Bog Turtle has a brown/black head with large yellow/orange spots on either side of its neck, although not related, it has a similar appearance to painted and spotted turtles.

Glyptemys muhlenbergii

 The Bog turtle has a black and yellow plastron. 
      The bog Turtle is omnivorous and eats mostly plants and invertebrates. It lives in wetlands that contain lime. This includes  meadows, bogs, and marshes that have areas of water and dryness. They usually live in small groups. The Bog Turtle has 2 populations... Northern and southern. The two populations are separated by almost 250 miles.The northern population being the farther of the tow and reaching  Massachusetts. According to National Resources Conservation Service leaflet, as of 2006, there are less than 200 habitable sites left for the northern population.

         
            The southern populations of Bog Turtle are smaller in numbers than that of their northern counterparts. They live at higher elevations and are more scattered than the northern Bog Turtles. This paper is a wealth of information about the Bog turtles habitat. Both northern and  southern populations are considered endangered by the federal government. The reasons for their protected status and the declining numbers of Bog Turtles are many. From invasive plant species to illegal turtle trade. Invasive plat species such as the Purple loosestrife which can grow very dense and prevent the turtle from reaching its habitat or even prevent it from getting enough sun.

 The small size of these turtles makes them a perfect pet, but as they have been protected since 1997, they are now being sold illegally. 
Another reason is that, for the northern population, at least 90% of its habitat has been turned into agricultural land hence not suitable for out little turtle friends. There are many more reasons for the decline of this turtle species. Other than being on the federal threatened species list, the government does little to help populations rebound. For the most part it is up to private intervention to help these turtles. For further information about the Bog Turtle, google bog turtle, there is a wealth of information available on the search engine and you can even check out some of the sources cited on the wiki page.