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Home , False map turtle, Mississippi map turtle

MAP Common Names: Map turtle, Sawback turtle, juveniles are called Graybacks by the pet trade

Order: Testudines

Family:

Latin Name: kohnii (sometimes listed as Grspteyms pseudogeographica kohnii)

Habitat and Range: Aquatic, freshwater turtle that lives in quieter parts of silt-bearing rivers, lakes, bayous with abundant vegetation. They are rarely found in farm ponds or small creeks. They are found in the Valley from Southwest Iowa and Central to the Gulf of Mexico. Most are found west of the Mississippi River,

Description: Medium sized, broad headed turtle that looks a lot like a slider. The carapace has a keel running down the center with map-like markings on it. The coloration on the skin of the legs, tail, chin and neck can range from dark olive to black with thin yellow, green, or orange stripes. There is a crescent shaped light spot behind the white eye. This is the tell-tale markings of this . The plastron is greenish yellow with a pattern of dark lines and is hingeless. The scutes on the back are fluted and jagged, appearing serrated. Females are larger than males with broader heads, while males have longer tails.

Adult Size: Females are 6-10 inches. Males are 3 ½-5 inches.

Diet in the Wild: Young tend to be more carnivorous while older adults tend to be herbivorous. They eat most anything they can find including: , crawfish, worms, aquatic plants, fish, mollusks, and snails. They have been known to scavenge dead fish.

Reproduction: Female lays multiple clutches during a single breeding season .Each clutch contains 5-16 which hatch in 60-75 days.

Life Span: While not specifically stated for this species, can live 40 to 150 years.

Perils: Not much is known of the predators although it is suspected that the eggs and young are preyed on as other types of turtles. Humans do not seem to bother these turtles except for a small area in the lower Mississippi Valley where they are used as food. They are affected by human activity through habitat loss, boat propellers, and pollution. In certain areas they have been decimated by the pet trade.

Protection: They are gregarious and bask in groups. They are very aware of their surroundings. When one turtle dives into the water, they all dive in quickly. While this is a good protection, it also makes them hard to study and not as much is known about this species. Interesting Facts: This species rarely travels overland. They only come out of the water to bask and lay eggs. Some “experts” group these turtles as a of the while some combine them with the . Alterations in temperature during incubation can produce differing shell patterns, causing them to appear like similar species. The False Map, Mississippi Map and Ouachita Map are so similar that at various times in history two or more groups were classified together.

Ecology: These turtles are more sensitive to water quality that other species. There has been a population decline due to pollution of their waterways. They have been exploited by the pet trade. They do not do well in captivity and often die quickly, even though the pet trade extols them as being “easy to keep” and a “beginners turtle”. All map turtles have been listed in Appendix III of CITES. Farmed (captive bred) are not covered, nor is domestic trade covered under this regulation—only international trade.

Diet at the Zoo:

Sources: www.unc.edu http://herpcenter.pfw.edu www.fws.gov/international/Appendix_lll/usturtles Turtles of the United Styates—Ernst and Barbour Turtles of the and Canada—P o p e Field Guide to North American and Amphibians—Audubon Society