Eastern mud turtle


The eastern mud turtle or common mud turtle is a common species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the United States. There are two recognized subspecies.

Description

The eastern mud turtle is a small and often hard to identify species. It measures in carapace length. The carapace is keelless, lacks any pattern, and varies in color from yellowish to black. The plastron is large and double hinged, and can be yellowish to brown, and may sometimes have a dark pattern. The chin and throat are a yellowish grey, streaked and mottled with brown, while the limbs and tail are grayish. The eye, or iris, of the eastern mud turtle is yellow with dark clouding, and its feet are webbed.

Habitat

Mud turtles are fresh water turtles that are found in the southern United States. They live in rivers, lakes and swamps. Mud turtles prefer ponds that have a lot of vegetation. These animals can generally be found in spring-fed streams, and they prefer clean, oxygenated water. In the wild, they also prefer sandy and muddy areas, as they will hibernate by burrowing into the mud.

Reproduction

Mating occurs in K. subrubrum during early spring followed by egg laying in May to early June. Clutch sizes vary from 2 to 5.

Geographic range

The eastern mud turtle is found in the US states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
In Indiana, the eastern mud turtle is listed as an endangered species.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
The former subspecies, K. s. steindachneri – Florida mud turtle, was elevated to species status in 2013.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Kinosternon.