Alternate name: Common Mud Turtle

Family: Kinosternidae, Musk and Mud Turtles view all from this family

Description 3-4 7/8" (7.6-12.4 cm). Carapace olive to dark brown, patternless, smooth, keelless. No enlarged marginal scutes. Plastron yellow to brown, double-hinged with 11 scutes. Males have well-developed blunt spine at end of tail and rough scale patches on inside of hind legs.

Subspecies Eastern (K. s. subrubrum), spotted or mottled head; sw. Connecticut and Long Island to Gulf, northwest to s. Illinois and sw. Indiana, isolated population in nw. Indiana.
Florida (K. s. steindachneri), plain or mottled head; peninsular Florida.
Mississippi (K. s. hippocrepis), two light lines on side of head; se. Missouri, Arkansas, e. Oklahoma, e. Texas, Louisiana, w. and s. Mississippi, s. Alabama, and extreme w. Florida.

Breeding Sexually mature at 5-7 years. Breeds mid-March to May; usually nests in June, but October through June nestings have occurred. 1-6 elliptical eggs - hard-shelled, pinkish or bluish-white, 1" (25 mm) - are deposited in a 3-5" (7.6-12.7 cm) cavity dug in vegetative debris or sandy loam soil. Several clutches laid annually in southern populations. Muskrat or beaver lodges and alligator nests are occasionally used.

Habitat Fresh or brackish water. Prefers shallow, soft-bottomed, slow-moving water with abundant vegetation. Often occupies muskrat lodges.

Range Sw. Connecticut and Long Island south to s. Florida, west to c. Texas, and north in the Mississippi Valley to s. Illinois and sw. Indiana; an isolated populations occurs in nw. Indiana.

Discussion Active April to October. During warmer months it can be seen prowling along the bottom. If the habitat dries up, the turtles may move overland to a permanent body of water or burrow into the mud and aestivate. Surprisingly terrestrial, they are frequently seen crossing roads; many are killed doing so. Some Mud Turtles are mild-tempered, while others are feisty and do not hesitate to bite.