Distribution and abundance of Common Map Turtles, Graptemys geographica, in the Ottawa River, Quebec

During the spring and summer of 1992, the authors searched for common map turtles (Graptemys geographica) on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. We found that common map turtles as well as painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) were abundant and widely distributed in the study area. Of the 544 turtles observed during this study, 334 were common map turtles, 204 were painted turtles, one was a snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and five were unidentified. Until recently, the only known important common map turtle population documented with counts was located at the mouth of the Ottawa River near Montreal. The existence of other important populations 200 to 350 km upstream in this river is now verified.