They mate in spring and fall, in or out of water. Females dig nests in June on communal gravel sites along banks or railroad beds. But the nests don't always survive. Egg predation by skunks, raccoons and opossums is becoming a serious problem due to an increase in the number of these scavengers since human settlement. If the nest makes it through, a clutch of 4 to 17 white, smooth eggs laid in June will hatch in September.
Gray hatchlings look awkward with tiny bodies and oversized tails.
Before wood turtles were placed on Wisconsin's endangered species list in 1974, hundreds were taken from the wild each fall and sold to biological supply houses. One collector recalls taking over 100 from one stream bank in 1972. Today, no wood turtles are found there. Collecting for biological experiments and dissection may also be threatening other Wisconsin reptiles and amphibians, as well as many of the world's primates. Collecting wood turtles for pets is another problem.