Southeastern Mud Turtle
Scientific Name: Kinosternon subrubrum
Size: 3-5 inches (7-10 cm) in length
Status: Endangered Species
Habitat:
Slow moving or standing waters with soft mud bottoms and an abundant amount of aquatic vegetation.
Description:
Small aquatic species. The upper shell is brown, olive, or black. The underside of the turtle is yellow or yellow-brown. The skin is brown with a slight olive green appearance. It's head is brown and can have varying degrees of yellow markings along the sides. It's shell is smooth and round.
- The carapace color is yellow-brown, olive-brown to black and unpatterned.
- The plastron is yellow to yellowish brown.
- The skin of the neck, legs, and tail is olive to olive brown.
- The head is olive-brown on top and becomes yellow or mottled with yellow along the sides, jaw and chin.
- Small aquatic species.
- Profile View – The carapace is low and lacks keels.
- Above View – The carapace is oblong with smooth margins.
- The posterior margin of the carapace is strongly serrated.
- The plastron is large and covers the underside, and had two well-developed transverse hinges; one on each side of the abdominal scutes.
- The legs are short and well-developed.
- The feet are webbed between the toes.
- Similar to adults
References:
- Hulse, C. and McCoy C. J. and Ellen Censky ,1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. 194-196pp.
- Ernst, Carl H. and Lovich, Jeffrey E., and Barbour, Roger W. ,1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 167-176pp.
- Bob Hamilton
- Billy Brown
- Brandon Ruhe
- Stephen Staedtler
Heads up!
Please contribute your observation of this and other herps to the Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey. Your help is needed.