2021 Blanding Turtle Canada Loon Dollar Specimen
This coin is carefully removed from the 2021 Canada Endangered Species Blanding's Turtle Specimen Set. This set highlights the Blanding Turtle, an endangered species, which when newly hatched is approximately the size of the 2021 Specimen Dollar within the set. The 2021 Blanding Turtle Loon Dollar is the second dollar to be released within the Endangered Species Series, the first being the the 2020 Black Footed Ferret.
The 2021 Loon Dollar's reverse features the endangered Blanding Turtle in its wetland habitat. The obverse of this coin depicts the new effigy (uncrowned) portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Specifications:
Composition: Three-ply brass finish plated steel
Weight: 6.27 grams
Face Value: $1
Finish: Specimen
Diameter: 26.50 mm (11-sided)
Edge: Plain
Designers: Obv.: Susanna Blunt; Rev.: Pierre Girard
Special Features:
A Blanding Turtle hatchling’s small size and soft shell puts it at high risk of becoming an easy meal for predators like raccoons, skunks, foxes and crows. But by the age of two, the turtle has grown a little larger and the shell has hardened enough to give the young turtle a fighting chance in the wild.
This coin features the Blanding Turtle which is easily identified by its bright yellow throat and chin. Blanding's Turtles have a wide, flatter shell that differs from most Ontario turtle species, and has a dome shell that resembles an army helmet. Its shell is black to brown with yellow flecks and streaks, and can reach 27 centimetres long. Blanding's Turtle lives in shallow water, and is typically found in large wetlands and shallow lakes with lots of water plants. Blanding's Turtle is found in and around the Great Lakes Basin, with isolated populations elsewhere in the United States and Canada.
