Striped Mud Turtle

Range

It can be found in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina.

Habitats

This organism wanders on land more than other mud turtles. It’s diet consist of aquatic animals, plants and insects such as algae, snails, worms, dried up kill and fish. It also looks for food in cow dung. It is commonly found in ditches and ponds. It prefers to dwell in fresh and brackish waters. The striped mud turtles are primarily not found in moving water. By way of estimate, females lay about 4 eggs early in the summer.

Identification

The striped mud turtle is quite small in size, with an oblong shaped shell, up to 10 to 12 centimeters. They typically have big heads and have three yellow strips on the length of the carapace (shell top). There is distinctive feature between the males and females. The males have thicker and longer tails than the females. It has a double hinged plastron, not unlike the eastern box turtle.

Learn more with Schechter Natural History's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians