Loggerhead musk turtle


The loggerhead musk turtle is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southern United States.

Geographic distribution

Within the southeastern United States, the loggerhead musk turtle can be found in Alabama, northern Florida, Georgia, extreme southeastern Kentucky, extreme eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, extreme western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and extreme southwestern Virginia.

Description

The loggerhead musk turtle gets its common name from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle. Adults can be 8–13 cm in straight carapace length. Barbels are present on the chin only, not on the throat.

Habitat

Sternotherus minor lives in clean freshwater habitats such as springs, streams, and rivers.

Reproduction

S. minor is oviparous. Hatchlings have a straight carapace length of. They have three prominent keels on the carapace, and they have a pinkish unmarked plastron.