Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

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TeeJay
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Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by TeeJay »

Blandings Turtle research project 2011 started early again this year here in southern Minnesota, with our first finds on April 5.

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On the way to the site, the morning temp was 38 degrees F! But with the sun shining it soon hit a blistering 40.

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By the time the first turtle crawled up, ground temp was 50 and the basking turtle temp was 60. (An hour later turtle temps were 70 degrees)

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The few remaining widely scattered and isolated populations of Blandings turtles in southern and SW Minnesota are pure prairie turtles. They weren't "discovered" there until 1986 and it was believed for a long time that they only used the creeks as "hiways" to travel between isolated wetlands. Over the last few years however, we have found that they spend most of the entire year living in and along the edge of the creeks.

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This is the beginning of the 3rd year of research in this particular area, so the radios we put on in 2009 had to be removed.

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We're finding a good number of adult turtles here, but so far have not located any juveniles or hatchlings. All of our radioed females tried to nest in the nearby plowed agricultural fields, and we suspect that very few (if any) of those eggs hatch.

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The search continues however, and while we're looking, sometimes other things pop up instead: Last week I looked down into the creek and saw what I thought was a huge Snapping Turtle partially buried in the mud.

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What I thought was a turtle tail turned out to be a horn, and when I poked at it with my boot, this is what came up!

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I heaved it up out of the muck, rinsed it off and placed it on the edge of the creek. I put my shades on it to show how big it was.

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At this point, I was still convinced it was just the head of a big bull Cow. My field partner, Laurinda and I joked around a bit. "Whaddya think? Cow or Buffler??" "Hmmm... Tatonka?"

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We left it there by the creek, as I had no intention of hauling a 50 pound skull nearly a full mile back to the van. (Besides, shortly after we discovered the skull, we found 4 BIG female Blandings Turtles that we had to carry all the way back to the vehicles)

The next morning was cold and cloudy and we released the turtles we found the day before. This time we came in from the north, which was much closer to the road, and I saw my skull where we left it the day before. While I was taking more photos I immediately realized this might be something more than just a cow skull, so I hoisted it up onto my back and walked it all the way (nearly a quarter mile!) back to my van.

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Lookin too good to leave behind. As soon as I took the first series of photos right after I found it, I told Laurinda:

"We'll know what it is immediately by the fountains of vile profanity I get back when I send out the photos to my archeologist buddies". Sure enough, by Friday evening the E-mail responses began pouring in: "...You dam rotten lucky herpetologist bastard... how the hell do you EVER find these things?!!!" :thumb:

(By the way, this was the 2nd Bison skull I've found quite by accident. The first being a partial skull of the extinct Bison occidentalis found along the Big Sioux River in 2003)

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The horns sweep back more like a bison. Cow horns generally point slightly forward.

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I decided to look into the creek for more bones and found a rib!!

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Last Friday after I decided to carry the Bison skull all the whole long way back to my van (which by the way, turned out to be a LOT farther then a quarter mile!) I marked the spot with one of the ribs I found by jamming it into the muddy bank. Yesterday I decided I should go back and properly document the location with GPS coordinates. (It took me forever to find this thing again!) But there it was right where I left it, still bravely standing at attention.

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But before I even got to it I looked down into the creek and discovered even more bones partially buried in the mud. This is a part of a pelvis, but as of right now I'm not sure if it belongs to the Bison.

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There are a lot of bones all scattered along the bottom of the creek for about 80 paces long. (Pretty well certain most of them are from cows) I found 3 more ribs, this pelvis, some leg bones and ...the prize catch of the day:
A jaw bone (with teeth!!!) Even at the time I snapped the pic I still thought for sure this was from a cow, but when I got it home it appeared to be a perfect fit to the Bison skull.

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An Archeologist friend of mine was bummed the skull was missing its teeth. He said we could get a fairly accurate idea of the age of the critter by examining the molars. My thought was that if it was indeed a Bison, it would have to be at least 150 years old. He said it could be as old as a Thousand. (You see how the teeth are blue? That means it has been at the bottom of the creek for a very, very long time!)

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Here's a pic of the general landscape. The current theory is: The Natives drove the herds over the steep bluffs, not to crash down to their deaths (like more famous Buffalo jumps) but instead sort of got them all into a kind of Bison Avalanche that drove them down into the muck and much easier to dispatch.

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This area is public land so collecting bones and antlers is permitted, but if any Native American artifacts are discovered (like tools!) then its a whole different story and it becomes a strict policy of "...HANDS OFF you fool bone collector and let the Real archeologists come in!"

Later on this summer when the water level of the creek goes down, an expedition will be organized to go in and see what else might be hiding down there in the mud, under proper supervision of people that know what they're doing, too.

Besides, I have no intention of reassembling a complete Bison skeleton in the basement next to the washing machine! In fact, the good wife expressed a concern once as to the number of bones, heads and carcasses I might be dragging home with me from the wilderness, and I assured her that from now on I will enact a strict policy of "Quality over Quantity".

So far, so good! ;)
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Blandings and fossil Bison? Holy crap what an AMAZING post! That rocks!
--Berkeley
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Mike VanValen
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Mike VanValen »

You've managed to get me more interested in the Bison skull than the Blanding's. :lol:

Very cool story. Please keep us updated if that skull ever gets identified and dated.
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KingCam
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by KingCam »

I've gotta say, that bison skull find is really, really cool!! I'd wash it off and put it in a rattlesnake enclosure :P

- Cam
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M Wolverton
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by M Wolverton »

Hmmm, what is the measurement from tip to tip on those horn cores?
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salamanderhunter
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by salamanderhunter »

Awesome post...both turtles and bison! thanks.
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Mike Pingleton
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Very cool in all respects.
-Mike
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by BillMcGighan »

Very interesting post....
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This is one of the best "by-catches" I've seen with herpers.
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Seeing the Blandings also takes me back to 1965, begging rats from Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery lab, and seeing tanks of hundreds of Blandings being used for surgery training.
At that day and time, no one seemed to know the populations would be in trouble!!!!!
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Antonsrkn »

Awesome post, blandings are one of the coolest turtles and the bison bones are pretty interesting too!
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Carl Brune
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Carl Brune »

Very interesting. Both with regards to the Blanding's and the bones. Thanks for posting.
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Chris Smith
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Re: Blandings Turtles and Bison Bones

Post by Chris Smith »

Great post TeeJay. We need to get into the field again this year!!

-Chris
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