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Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
Common Musk Turtle Photograph by Dawson. Some rights reserved. (view image details) 
Common Musk Turtle Photograph by Ltshears. License: Public Domain. (view image details)
COMMON MUSK TURTLE FACTS
DescriptionThe Common Musk Turtle is black, grey or brown with a high domed shell. They have long necks and short legs. Males have longer tails. The head has yellow-green striping from the tip of their nose to their neck. The snout is pointed with a sharp beak. The carapace is often covered with algae. Other Names Stinkpot Size carapace length 10cm Environment Common Musk turtles are aquatic, spending most of their time in shallow creeks or ponds. They prefer slow moving water with heavy vegetation. They only move onto land for nesting or sometimes to bask. Food plants, mollusks, small fish, insects, carrion. It gathers food by foraging on the muddy bottom of streams or ponds. Breeding Breeding takes place in spring. Females lay a clutch of 2 - 9 elliptical hard-shelled eggs in a shallow burrow or under debris on the shore. The young hatch in late summer or early fall. Common Mask Turtles can live to 50 years of age. Range The Common Musk Turtle is found in southern Ontario and southern Quebec in Canada in. It is also found in the eastern United States from southern Maine to Florida, and west to central Texas. Notes The Common Musk Turtle is kept as a pet turtle. Wild-caught turtles and captive-bred turtles are available. They readily accept commercial prepared turtle food, and will eat insects such as crickets and also mealworms and earthworms. Classification
Relatives in same Genus Razorback Musk Turtle (S. carinatus) Flattened Musk Turtle (S. depressus) Home | Mammals | Reptiles | Birds | Insects | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us |