Musk turtle
Musk turtle is the common name given to three genera of aquatic turtles:
- Sternotherus, the musk turtles proper,
- Staurotypus, variously called Mexican, three-keeled or giant musk turtles, and.
- Claudius, the narrow-bridged musk turtle.
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Identification
Also known as the “stinkpot” turtle, the Common Musk Turtle is a small, dull turtle named because of its ability to secrete a smelly musk from two glands on each side of its body. The carapace is vertebrally arched, and has much the same coloration as the skin, being drab olive, or grey-brown to blackish. The carapace is sometimes marked with dark flecks, but these are usually faded in adults. Juveniles are more attractive in appearance being adorned with spots or radiating streaks. The small plastron has a single hinge and varies in coloration from yellowish to brown. The head features a slightly projected snout and a pair of yellow or white stripes extending from the snout to above and below the eye. There are also barbels on both the chin and throat.
Distribution and Status The Common Musk Turtle is abundant throughout much of its range and stays on flatter land, avoiding mountainous or hilly terrain. They range from southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and southern Maine to the north, south through Florida, and west to east central Texas. A disjuct population is also located in central Wisconsin. In the Midwest, Common Musk Turtles are State Threatened Iowa and are not absent from Minnesota. (US distribution map; Midwest distribution map).
Ecology Found mostly in aquatic environs, Common Musk Turtles prefer permanent bodies of water such as lakes, ditches, ponds, and quiet streams, where they tend to dwell on the bottom. Basking is done with caution, but because of their mobile body shape, they can be found as far as 6 feet up in trees near the water!
Threats and Management Issues Like all other turtle species, the greatest threat to the Common Musk Turtle is habitat loss and destruction, largely as a result of water pollution and wetland drainage. Individuals are also regularly injured or killed from fishing and from contact with boat propellers.
Resources
Ernst. C. H., J. E. Lovich and R. W. Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, USA.
General reference guides and websites.
MAIN : SPECIES ACCOUNTS : COMMON MUSK TURTLE
Bruce Kingsbury, Director
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management
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Indiana-Purdue University
2101 East Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
herps@ipfw.edu