Turtles

Eastern Painted Turtle

You'll find these medium-sized turtles in any body of water. You will often find them sunning themselves on any convenient perch, watching you. Get too close, and they drop into the water. Rarely, you may encounter a released pet that is tame.

Conga!

-- Wikipedia

Pond Slider

Red-Eared Slider

This is a non-native turtle that is also frequently found. The pet trade has spread them far outside their native range in the mid-west.

-- Wikipedia


Snapping Turtle

Usually, this is about as much of a Snapping Turtle as you'll get to see - coming up for a breath of air. While they do have a very strong and potentially damaging bite, and can be aggressive at times, a kayaker would have to do something incredibly stupid to have a problem.

Since they spend most of their time lying on the bottom in murky water, a kayak is not the best way to see one of these. They are better observed from a bridge or a dock.

-- Wikipedia


Stinkpot Turtle

Another common little water turtle. These will also snap at you, notice the careful way this one is being held.

-- Wikipedia


Spiny Softshell Turtle

This is an introduced type that can be found as far north as the Raritan River watershed. If you do run across one of these, leave it alone, they defend themselves aggressively and have a strong bite.

-- Wikipedia


Middlesex County
( 40.42683, -74.38135 )

  1. Ambrose Brook - Bound Brook ( 40.56764, -74.51489 )
  2. Ambrose Brook - Possumtown ( 40.55555, -74.48630 )
  3. Arthur Kill - Buckingham Ave ( 40.51462, -74.25871 )
  4. Arthur Kill - Carteret Waterfront ( 40.57186, -74.21301 )
  5. Arthur Kill - Ferry St ( 40.54576, -74.25424 )
  6. Brainerd Lake - Cranbury ( 40.31113, -74.51178 )
  7. Buck's Pond - Colt's Neck ( 40.29178, -74.20380 )
  8. D-R Canal - Amwell Rd ( 40.50340, -74.58268 )
  9. D-R Canal - Blackwells Mills ( 40.47550, -74.57220 )
  10. D-R Canal - Griggstown (N) ( 40.43834, -74.61397 )
  11. D-R Canal - Griggstown (S) ( 40.42912, -74.61816 )
  12. D-R Canal - Kingston (N) ( 40.37489, -74.61854 )
  13. D-R Canal - Kingston (S) ( 40.37326, -74.61861 )
  14. D-R Canal - Manville ( 40.52861, -74.58178 )
  15. D-R Canal - New Brunswick ( 40.50806, -74.46376 )
  16. D-R Canal - Plainsboro (E) ( 40.34321, -74.62964 )
  17. D-R Canal - Plainsboro (W) ( 40.34190, -74.63758 )
  18. D-R Canal - Princeton (N) ( 40.33879, -74.64715 )
  19. D-R Canal - Princeton (S) ( 40.33224, -74.65186 )
  20. D-R Canal - Rocky Hill ( 40.39826, -74.62702 )
  21. D-R Canal - Somerset (N) ( 40.54077, -74.51404 )
  22. D-R Canal - Somerset (S) ( 40.52390, -74.49248 )
  23. D-R Canal - South Bound Brook ( 40.55880, -74.53118 )
  24. Dallenbach Pond ( 40.41254, -74.44296 )
  25. Davidson's Mill Pond - East Brunswick ( 40.41117, -74.49789 )
  26. Etra Lake - East Windsor ( 40.25288, -74.49829 )
  27. Farrington Lake - East Brunswick (C) ( 40.42465, -74.47680 )
  28. Farrington Lake - East Brunswick (N) ( 40.43900, -74.46646 )
  29. Farrington Lake - East Brunswick (S) ( 40.42201, -74.48242 )
  30. Green Brook - Billian Legion Park ( 40.56222, -74.52483 )
  31. Grover's Mill Pond - Princeton Junction ( 40.31282, -74.60565 )
  32. Helmetta Pond ( 40.37817, -74.42657 )
  33. Lake Carnegie - Plainsboro ( 40.34362, -74.62973 )
  34. Lake Carnegie - Princeton ( 40.36681, -74.62597 )
  35. Lake Lefferts - Matawan ( 40.41563, -74.23362 )
  36. Lake Manalapan - Jamesburg ( 40.34525, -74.43662 )
  37. Lake Topanemus - Freehold ( 40.27635, -74.28554 )
  38. Lake Weamaconk - Englishtown ( 40.29140, -74.35704 )
  39. Lawrence Brook - Milltown (E) ( 40.45144, -74.43663 )
  40. Lawrence Brook - Milltown (W) ( 40.44831, -74.44367 )
  41. Marlu Lake - Lincroft ( 40.33463, -74.15354 )
  42. Mill Pond - Princeton Meadows (E) ( 40.32460, -74.56567 )
  43. Mill Pond - Princeton Meadows (W) ( 40.32735, -74.60233 )
  44. Millhurst Pond - Freehold ( 40.24590, -74.34066 )
  45. Millstone River - Blackwells Mills ( 40.47487, -74.57503 )
  46. Millstone River - Cranbury (E) ( 40.29359, -74.52675 )
  47. Millstone River - Cranbury (W) ( 40.29590, -74.56250 )
  48. Millstone River - Griggstown ( 40.43898, -74.61783 )
  49. Millstone River - Kingston ( 40.37419, -74.61962 )
  50. Millstone River - Manville ( 40.53124, -74.58753 )
  51. Millstone River - Plainsboro (N) ( 40.34262, -74.62981 )
  52. Millstone River - Plainsboro (S) ( 40.33874, -74.62880 )
  53. Millstone River - West Windsor ( 40.32139, -74.60831 )
  54. New Market Pond - Piscataway ( 40.57675, -74.45490 )
  55. Peddie Lake - Hightstown ( 40.26870, -74.52219 )
  56. Perrineville Lake ( 40.22667, -74.43784 )
  57. Rahway River - Clark ( 40.62884, -74.29746 )
  58. Rahway River - Jackson's Pond ( 40.62805, -74.28492 )
  59. Rahway River - Mohawk Park ( 40.64041, -74.29408 )
  60. Rahway River - Park ( 40.62040, -74.28944 )
  61. Rahway River - Rahway ( 40.59952, -74.26856 )
  62. Rahway River - South Branch (E) ( 40.60010, -74.27397 )
  63. Rahway River - South Branch (W) ( 40.57998, -74.30463 )
  64. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (E) ( 40.45089, -74.22033 )
  65. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (W) ( 40.45216, -74.22269 )
  66. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (Whale Creek) ( 40.45090, -74.22274 )
  67. Raritan Bay - Keyport (E) ( 40.44095, -74.19534 )
  68. Raritan Bay - Keyport (W) ( 40.43921, -74.20160 )
  69. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (E) ( 40.45877, -74.24622 )
  70. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (W) ( 40.46223, -74.25482 )
  71. Raritan Bay - Middletown ( 40.44463, -74.11175 )
  72. Raritan Bay - Port Monmouth ( 40.43800, -74.08955 )
  73. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (N) ( 40.48343, -74.27059 )
  74. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (S) ( 40.47946, -74.26831 )
  75. Raritan Bay - South Amboy Ramp ( 40.48401, -74.27416 )
  76. Raritan Bay - Union Beach (E) ( 40.44787, -74.16598 )
  77. Raritan Bay - Union Beach (W) ( 40.45479, -74.17517 )
  78. Raritan River - Bound Brook ( 40.55995, -74.52758 )
  79. Raritan River - Edison ( 40.48791, -74.38382 )
  80. Raritan River - Highland Park ( 40.48864, -74.42226 )
  81. Raritan River - New Brunswick ( 40.48760, -74.43280 )
  82. Raritan River - Perth Amboy ( 40.50057, -74.27712 )
  83. Raritan River - Piscataway (N) ( 40.54085, -74.51236 )
  84. Raritan River - Piscataway (S) ( 40.50935, -74.46641 )
  85. Raritan River - Sayreville ( 40.47450, -74.35606 )
  86. Raritan River - Somerville (E) ( 40.55798, -74.61520 )
  87. Rising Sun Lake - Upper Freehold ( 40.20699, -74.46339 )
  88. Robinson's Branch - Rahway River ( 40.61839, -74.30495 )
  89. Rocky Brook - Hightstown ( 40.27108, -74.52353 )
  90. Shadow Lake - Middletown ( 40.34698, -74.10476 )
  91. South River - Grekoski Park ( 40.43898, -74.36086 )
  92. South River - Old Bridge ( 40.41228, -74.36362 )
  93. South River - Sayreville ( 40.45397, -74.37222 )
  94. South River - South River ( 40.45838, -74.38361 )
  95. Stony Brook - Princeton ( 40.33219, -74.65340 )
  96. Wagner's Marina - Matawan Creek ( 40.43540, -74.21416 )
  97. Washington Valley Park Reservoir ( 40.59589, -74.57371 )
  98. Watchung Lake - North Plainfield ( 40.63723, -74.45384 )
  99. Weston's Mill Pond - East Brunswick ( 40.46677, -74.42603 )
  100. Woodbridge Creek (N) ( 40.58555, -74.26267 )
  101. Woodbridge Creek (S) ( 40.56256, -74.26890 )