Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources Scholarly Works

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Growth, sexual maturity, and reproduction of a female Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) afflicted with kyphosis
(2015) MOLDOWAN, Patrick, D.; KEEVIL, Matthew, G.; Koper, Nicola; Brooks, Ronald, J.; Litzgus, Jacqueline, D.
Kyphosis, a congenital humpback condition of the spinal column, has been reported across a broad range of chelonian taxa. These reports are often of single observations and lack background information about the history of the animal(s) involved. A kyphotic female Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) reported herein is a member of a long-term mark-recapture study in Algonquin Park (Ontario, Canada), providing a unique opportunity to document life-history characters of a kyphotic turtle over 18 years, and to draw comparisons to other members of her cohort and population. Despite this spinal deformity, the somatic growth, body size, age at sexual maturity, and reproduction of the kyphotic female are similar to those of normal (non-kyphotic) females in our long-term study population. This suggests that the condition has not compromised her fitness.