The Mud Turtles

Mud turtles are divided into five species, K. baurii, K. Subrubrum, K.s. hippocrepis, K. flavescens, and the K.hirtopes murrayi. The colors of the mud turtles tend to be dull, compared to other types of turtles. The plastron of the mud turtles is wider and more scaly, both sides of the plastron are hinged. They can get a safe position by pulling their plastron, protecting the head and limbs. They have a musky odor.

Mud turtles are small and wont grow larger than four inches. Usually, the mud turtle males are larger than females. Older males tend to have larger heads and thicker tails than their female counterparts. The plastron of the males are concave and the carapace has notches near the tail. Both male and female mud turtles have barbells on their neck and chin.

Behavior of The Mud Turtles

They are aquatic in nature, so their feeding habits include water insects, small water animals and larvae found in the water. Young mud turtles tend to be to be more carnivorous but as they get older their habits will change and they will feed on vegetation too. Basking in the sun is characteristic to most mud turtles but there are some species that do not do it. They tend to be aggressive toward each other and bite sometimes.

The Location of the Mud Turtles

They are commonly found in the South Eastern United States and they live along shallow, slow moving waters. Other areas that they populate might include the mud, on shore, or in the water.

Specific Types of Turtles:

  • The Bog Turtles - There are small turtles in the world, but the Bog turtle is the smallest and is one of the most rare turtles around. The Bog turtle rarely grows four inches.
  • The Musk Turtles - Musk turtles, also known as stinkpots, seem to prefer deep, still water in lakes, ponds, and sluggish streams with muddy bottoms and an abundance of plant life.
  • The Painted Turtles - The Painted Turtle must be the most common widespread turtle. Their size varies between five and six inches, so they are among the small sized turtles.
  • The Slider Turtles - The colors that you can see on slider turtles are usually red or olive green. The skin and shell of a slider turtle is splotched with red or yellow.
  • The Snapping Turtles - The "Most Dangerous" award goes to the snapping turtle, out of all the turtle species. Snapping turtles have long necks and powerful jaws that combined with the vicious temper make them very hard to handle safely.
  • The Soft Shell Turtles - They are called Soft Shell Turtles but their shell is not soft at all, actually their shells are as hard as any turtle shell.
  • The Box Turtles - Box turtles are a land species but they can occasionally be found near or in the water. They prefer swamps of moist open woods but they are very well adapted to live on land.
  • The Mud Turtles - Mud turtles are divided into five species, K. baurii, K. Subrubrum, K.s. hippocrepis, K. flavescens, and the K.hirtopes murrayi. The colors of the mud turtles tend to be dull, compared to other types of turtles.