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Turtle (Stinkpot) or Common Musk Turtle

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Sternotherus odoratus
Stinkpot turtle or Common Musk Turtle

Range

They are found in Eastern North America from Ontario to Florida and west to Texas and the Great Lakes region.

Habitat

They live in shallow wetlands: lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams and rivers.

Body Traits

They are small turtles with a dark, domed shell or carapace that is about 3-5 inches long. They have a dark head with two yellow lines that run above and below the eye to the tip of the nose. The lines are more visible in younger turtles. They have small, fleshing spikes (barbels) under the chin and throat. Males are larger. The underneath part of the shell (plastron) is small.

Habits

They are active at night (nocturnal), so are not seen basking in the sun like other turtle species. They excrete a foul smelling, orange fluid from chest glands (at the edge of the plastron) when startled. They also may bite when threatened.

Diet

They eat water insects, crayfish, snails, slugs, tadpoles, and other invertebrates and spme plant matter. They are omnivores.

Predators

They are eaten by raccoons.

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District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Reproduction

Females may lay two batches (clutches) of eggs – one in the fall and one in the spring. They lay up to 9 eggs under the leaf litter on the forest floor near their wetland.

Lifespan and/or Conservation Status

They are threatened by habitat loss. Scientists believe that they can live up to 50 years.

Related Links

Color a Stinkpot Turtle

Stinkpot turtle or Common Musk Turtle

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