You would be hard-pressed to find someone today who has not seen the legendary Jaws movie. The movie defined a generation and solidified sharks as one of the most gruesome and dangerous killers on the planet. But such misconceptions are an injustice to this diverse, and often harmless, order of fish, some of which reach a mature length shorter than that of an average housecat.

The modern ecological movement* can be traced back to the 1970 observance of Earth Day. Now a global celebration, the first Earth Day was conceived by a United States Senator from Wisconsin and called for nationally coordinated educational programming to raise consciousness about increasing environmental degradation. Forty years later, “Earth Day is everyday” and the UN has named 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity in an effort that mirrors Sen. Gaylord Nelson’s hopeful vision.

But there are distinctions between earlier environmental campaigns and current thinking; it’s no longer sufficient to organize efforts around the “wilderness” or far-away habitats of endangered species. The flora and fauna of your back-yard could be just as susceptible to extinction as the inhabitants of the rain forests. And unless you live under the sea, saving the whales might not be your first priority. Popularized by Michael Rosenzweig, a University of Arizona ecologist, reconciliation ecology acknowledges that “nothing influences species’ diversities more than the amount of area available to life.” And as cities continue to grow, area available to local species becomes increasingly sought-after, a veritable arena for biological competition. Traditional wisdom tells us winners and losers are functions of competition. Period. Conversely, reconciliation ecology accepts the reality of competition for finite space while insisting a win-win outcome is still possible–provided we adjust human activities in accordance with local species’ requirements for survival.

Click here for more information about reconciliation ecology and here for a look at BHL content about species in your neighborhood.

*oh, and of course, we should remember the galvanizing effect of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.
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Imagine that you are strolling through the forest on a fine summer morning. The birds are chirping merrily above your head, and an occasional squirrel scurries across the path in front of you. Suddenly, you reach a clearing, in the midst of which is a large pond. As you take a moment to look around, you suddenly notice a log floating carelessly through the water. Except, this is no ordinary log! Indeed, it appears to be moving! On closer inspection, you realize that this is not just a log, but a log covered with as many as 50 painted turtles, all basking in the warm summer sun. While you may never have experienced this yourself, this is indeed a sight which you might see should you find yourself around freshwater anywhere in North America from Southern Canada to northern Mexico. It is the sight of Chrysemys picta, also known as the Eastern Painted Turtle – the most common turtle in North America and one of the featured species this week on EOL.

Chrysemys picta is brightly marked, with a “relatively flat upper shell with red and yellow markings on a black or greenish brown background.” Capable of living several decades, they “prefer living in freshwater that is quiet, shallow, and has a thick layer of mud.” While relatively common and abundant, some populations are “threatened by the destruction of their habitat,” and “in Canada, painted turtles have been placed on the federal blue list, which identifies animals considered vulnerable to human activities or natural events, but not immediately threatened.”

Chrysemys picta is very descriptively discussed in this week’s book of the week, Amphibia and reptiles (1901), by Hans Gadow. As of 1901, the Eastern Painted Turtle was “one of the few species of which, thanks to L. Agassiz, complete data of growth from the new born to the old age are known.” Here, Gadow refers to L. Agassiz’s work Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America, volume 1 (1857), which articulates the growth of this species over time.

Take a moment to peruse Gadow’s description of this turtle, as well as many other amphibians and reptiles, in Amphibia and reptiles. And remember, if you’re ever out strolling through the forest and come across a pond with a “moving log,” be sure to take a closer look, for it might just prove to be a hoard of Eastern Painted Turtles basking in the sun.