Talk:Wood turtle/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Xtzou (Talk) 18:55, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

(beginning review)

Hi, this is a well written, informative article. I have been making some copy editing, and you are free to revert any errors. I don't know anything about wood turtles, so I will probably not notice factual errors. I am concentrating on other aspects of the article.

Description

• "50 chromosomes make up the wood turtle's karyotype" - sentences should not start with a number

Reworded.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:46, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "and has dark patches that can be used as a method of identifying juveniles." how?

I have removed it for now. I don't see anything that hints at why a difference in the pattern is helpful in that way.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:55, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "are an orange to red in color with faint yellow stripes along the lower jaw of some individuals" - probably could leave out "in color" since colors are used previously without being called "colors".

Agreed...removed.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:47, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "Seasonal variation in color have been known to occur." - in what way? (I'm thinking of how I would recognize this.)

Source says "intensity of color"...added in "vibrancy" (that's the word I'm thinking of, right?).--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:51, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "Hatchlings carapaces' " - think this should be "Hatchlings' carapaces"

Yes, thanks for catching that.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:48, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Distribution and habitat

• "Another aspect of the wood turtle that has been studied is their population densities." - could the wording be more simply: The wood turtle's population densities have been studied?

Even that's a little more confusing than necessary. I changed it to: "The densities of wood turtle populations have also been studied."--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:57, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "In addition to this dynamic of wood turtle populations, it has been found that colonies can be expected to have more females than males." Can this sentence be simplified? i.e. leave out "In addition to this dynamic of wood turtle populations". Also, reword to "Wood turtle colonies tend to have more females than males"?

Changed to: "In addition to this, it has been found that colonies often have more females than males."--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 19:59, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "spending most of their time either in streams or near them. They also prefer clear water with sandy river-bottoms" - could this be confined with the beginning of this section where sandy river bottoms are also discussed?

I removed it. It really didn't pertain to the idea in the sentence before it.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:02, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Ecology and behavior

• bury themselves in the thick mud at the bottom of the river and physical movements are rare." - could you say: and rarely move?

Yes, changed.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:03, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "the outcome of encounters between two turtles is more aggression-dependent than size-dependent" - is aggressive behavior independent of size?

The first sentences of the section (Males are known to be aggressive, with larger and older turtles being more dominant. Larger males rank higher on the social hierarchy often created by wood turtle colonies) means that older males are more "cocky" if you will, however they may not be the most successful in bouts (larger ones start the fights and the outcome depends on his as well as the other turtles levels of aggression).--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:25, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Reply ok, I won't belabor this point. But in humans, aren't "cocky" people more aggressive (because they are "cocky" and think they will win). Maybe you mean "Pugnaciousness" or willingness to fight is independent of size. A "fighter" is more likely to win than a "nonfighter" regardless of size. Xtzou (Talk) 20:43, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I see what your saying.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:49, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Movement

• "The wood turtle, an intelligent animal, has homing capabilities." - Seem like "intelligent animal" could be left out, as don't many animals have homing abilities? Or is this unusual for a turtle?

It's common for sea turtles like the Loggerhead sea turtle and the Hawksbill turtle to have this ability. They perform several migratory movements throughout their lives, but it's rare for semi-aquatic and terrestrial turtles (but you're right the sentence is awkwardly worded and needs to be changed...any suggestions?).--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:06, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

• "has a high adult survival rate" - what about all the turtle deaths humans cause, as mentioned in the lead? Under Conservation it says their numbers are on the decline.

I think the source meant that wood turtles who survive to reach adulthood are fairly well off. In other words, if it doesn't become a prey item or drown in a flash flood during the developmental years of its life it has a good chance of reaching old age. The human caused deaths and the fact that their numbers are declining are referring to them as a species, which includes hatchlings and juveniles (who don't share the high survival rates).--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 20:09, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Xtzou (Talk) 19:57, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Citation needed tag added

• The following statement "Wood turtles are omnivorous, are aquatic in spring and fall, and are mostly terrestrial in summer." occurs in http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wildlife/tes/ca-overvie/docs/reptile_Clemmys_insculpta-Wood_Turtle.pdf

This link doesn't work for me, I'm sure the fact exists in one of the references I currently have.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 21:04, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Okay, I took care of the ref tag and was able to find the correct source for the rest of that paragraph. The article should be okay in that regard. Thanks.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 21:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

References

• I am having difficulty understand how you name your references. e.g. you have Bowen as first author in the Bibliography, but no footnotes use his name. I'm not sure which publication refers to his.

Well...I named them with abbreviations: SCA stands for "Species Conservation Assessment"--Should these be changed to have the author's name?--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 21:04, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

• I think so. I am no expert, but I had no idea what you meant by SCA. That requires the reader to figure out what initials you are using for any given reference. However, the first author (or et al, when needed) is a common way of identifying a referenced work. Xtzou (Talk) 21:08, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Okay, will do.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 21:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

They have all been changed, unfortunately I overran your copy-edit, all of which I replaced.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 21:35, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Xtzou (Talk) 14:35, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Further comments

• Just one question. In the sentence: " Mating activity among wood turtles peaks in the spring and again in the fall, although it is known to mate throughout the portion of the year they are active." - Do you mean that never in winter , except perhaps December? What are the months of their hibernation? (Did I miss where you specified this?) Xtzou (Talk) 23:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I have the sentence "November through February or March is spent in hibernation at the bottom of a small, flowing river" written under Ecology and behavior. I think the instances of wood turtles mating in December are largely uncommon. The source says "mating can occur at any time during the active season but mostly in the spring and fall." Thus, mating during the time they are expected to be hibernating is rare.--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 00:20, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose quality: Clearly and concisely written

   B. MoS compliance: Complies with required elements of MoS

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. References to sources: Reliable sources

   B. Citation of reliable sources where necessary: Well referenced

   C. No original research:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects: Sets the context

   B. Focused: Remains focused on the topic

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are copyright tagged, and non-free images have fair use rationales:

   B. Images are provided where possible and appropriate, with suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail: Pass!

Congratulations! Very nice article, beautifully illustrated. Xtzou (Talk) 11:40, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you! Is it still a "Good article nominee?" Or will that template change?--NYMFan69-86 (talk) 18:15, 25 May 2010 (UTC)