The disappearing bog turtle, newly distinguished among endangered species, has found a friend in the lowly cows that graze on marshy New Jersey farmlands.
The unlikely relationship between the two creatures is being nurtured under the year-old federal Working Lands for Wildlife program, which identifies seven critically endangered and threatened species across the country for special attention. The bog turtle, one of America's tiniest turtles and a native of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, joins several birds, a tortoise, and a rare rabbit whose survival has become a priority.
"The bog turtle is the rarest turtle in the Northeast," said Brian Zarate, a state Department of Environmental Protection zoologist in charge of monitoring the species in New Jersey.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131014_Cows_help_Salem_County_bog_turtles__survival.html#7XVITyt1bFcOjdTL.99