Yellow Mud Turtle
Kinosternon flavescens
They are very small sized. They can be yellowish- green, brown or tan in color, tinged with black. They range from 10cm to 15cm. The males are moderately larger than the…
How to identify
They are very small sized. They can be yellowish- green, brown or tan in color, tinged with black. They range from 10cm to 15cm. The males are moderately larger than the females. They have rather large heads, marginal shields and throats that are yellow in color.
Range
It is typically found in Midwestern United States and north of Mexico.
Habitat
Research conducted recently has observed that they venture unto land as well as water. They can generally be found in bodies of temporary waters, particularly with soft muddy bottoms such as ponds, canals, rivers, wetlands and ditches. On land, they generally dig burrows. Their diet typically consist of marine insects and animals such as fish, slugs, carrions, mollusks, worms and snails. They also feed on aquatic plants and animals that attempt to enter into their burrows during latency. In winter, yellow mud turtles bury themselves in mud. Mating and courtship typically occurs between April and May. The yellow mud turtle usually lays about 6 to 8 eggs. The eggs are hatched sometime between August and September.
Similar species
Eastern musk turtle or sternotherus odoratus is commonly found in fresh waters, they are also small in size. It can be found in Virginia. Like the yellow mud turtle, it can be found in ponds, swamps, rivers, streams and ditches. This turtle is light brown in color. Mississippi mud turtle or kinosternon sulbrubrum has a carapace length of 70mm to 120mm. The dome color ranges from brown to olive to black to yellow. The neck and head usually have yellowish stripes. It is found in the swamps of south eastern Missouri. False map turtle or graptemys psudogeographica has yellow lines that run through its body. The hind edge of the upper shell is firmly indented. It can be found in Missouri and Mississippi
Name and etymology
Flavescens: Latin for yellow (flavus) ish (escens).
At a glance
Size
10.2 to 15.2 cm
Range
It is typically found in Midwestern United States and north of Mexico.
Habitat
Research conducted recently has observed that they venture unto land as well as water. They can generally be found in bodies…
Range map
Approximate range. © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap