Western Pond Turtles

Western pond turtle with a radio tracking antenna in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

NPS / Emma Force

There’s only one native turtle species in California, and that’s the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata). There aren’t a whole lot left, however. They were heavily trapped in the early 20^th century to feed booming urban populations. Then turtle numbers declined further from habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, and the arrival of invasive species like American bullfrogs and red-eared sliders. Western pond turtles are now a “species of special concern” in California, and they’re under consideration for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Among San Francisco Bay Area national parks, western pond turtles can still be found in Point Reyes National Seashore and the northernmost section of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Park and partner scientists also reintroduced western pond turtles to the Presidio of San Francisco and southern Marin County sites within Golden Gate in recent years.

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See below for the latest on western pond turtles from the Bay Area Nature & Science Blog.