Painted turtle living in ponds near a major road in Eastern Ontario are not more likely to cross it as they are likely to be repelled by noise and vibration. (Photo credit: David Shane, via flickr)
A new study shows that high traffic roads in Eastern Ontario have no significant effect on the relative abundance of painted turtles.
Researchers compared turtle populations from around 20 ponds, half of which were close to a freeway and the other half of which were as far as possible from any major roads. They found that road proximity didn’t lead to more turtles getting killed.
The authors suggest that painted turtles may be repelled by noise and vibration and could cross traffic-heavy roads less often than previously thought. They also caution that this study applies only to painted turtles.
Original research paper published in the the journal PLOS ONE on May 23, 2014.
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