Common Musk Turtle

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Common Musk Turtle Common Musk Turtle [Stinkpot] - Pl. 1 (Sternotherus odoratus) Identification: 2" - 5 3/8". The Common Musk Turtle has an olive-brown to black carapace, sometimes marked with dark spots or streaks. The carapace is smooth and domed, and may have green algae growing on its surface. The plastron is yellow to brown. Two key identifying features on the relatively small plastron are: (1) a single hinge, and (2) squarish pectoral scutes (just in front of the hinge). Other key features are two light stripes on the head (these may be hidden by dark pigment), and barbels (small fleshy projections) on the chin and throat. Where to find them: The Common Musk Turtle can be found in still or slow-moving bodies of water, where it prefers to walk slowly along the bottom. It basks just at or below the surface, but can also be seen basking on fallen trees and branches overhanging the water. When to find them: Active April through October. Range: Entire state. Note: In New Jersey, the turtle most similar to this is the Eastern Mud Turtle, which lacks the stripes and the barbels, and has two hinges instead of one. Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) - text pg. 10 Key Features - Carapace: smooth & domed. - Plastron: small with single hinge. - Barbels on chin, two light stripes on head. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife ~ 2003 Excerpt from: Schwartz, V. & D. Golden, “Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey”. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife 2002. Order the complete guide at - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/products.htm.

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The Ecology and Evolutionary History of Two Musk Turtles in the Southeastern United States
The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 2020 The Ecology and Evolutionary History of Two Musk Turtles in the Southeastern United States Grover Brown Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Genetics Commons Recommended Citation Brown, Grover, "The Ecology and Evolutionary History of Two Musk Turtles in the Southeastern United States" (2020). Dissertations. 1762. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1762 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF TWO MUSK TURTLES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES by Grover James Brown III A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by: Brian R. Kreiser, Committee Co-Chair Carl P. Qualls, Committee Co-Chair Jacob F. Schaefer Micheal A. Davis Willian W. Selman II ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Dr. Brian R. Kreiser Dr. Jacob Schaefer Dr. Karen S. Coats Committee Chair Director of School Dean of the Graduate School May 2020 COPYRIGHT BY Grover James Brown III 2020 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT Turtles are among one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups on the planet with more than half of all species worldwide listed as threatened, endangered or extinct by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature.
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