Striped mud turtle

Species of turtle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Striped mud turtle

The striped mud turtle (Kinosternon baurii) is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Striped mud turtle
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Climbing a tree, Florida
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Kinosternidae
Genus: Kinosternon
Species:
K. baurii
Binomial name
Kinosternon baurii
(Garman, 1891)[2]
Synonyms[3]
List
  • Cinosternum baurii
    Garman, 1891
  • Kinosternon baurii
    Lönnberg, 1894
  • Kinosternon bauri palmarum
    Stejneger, 1925
  • Kinosternon bauri bauri
    Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934
  • Kinosternon baurii baurii
    — Stejneger & Barbour, 1939
  • Kinosternon baurii palmarum
    — Stejneger & Barbour, 1939
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Etymology

The specific name, baurii, is in honor of herpetologist Georg Baur.[4][5]

Geographic range

The striped mud turtle is found in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia.[2]

Description

K. baurii has three light-colored stripes along the length of the smooth carapace. It can grow to a straight carapace length of 8–12 cm (3-4¾ inches).

Habitat and behavior

K. baurii is a common species found in freshwater habitats. It wanders about on land more than any other of the mud turtles and can sometimes be observed foraging for food in cow dung.

Diet

The striped mud turtle is omnivorous. It eats insects, snails, fish, carrion, algae, and plants. The striped mud turtle also eats dried up krill.

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In captivity

Captivity

As a pet K. baurii is easy to care for, readily eating commercial turtle foods, feeder fish, and worms. Kept communally, they may exhibit aggressive behavior towards each other, most likely males are more inclined to fight than females.

Reproduction

Adult females of K. baurii nest from September to June. The eggs, which are slightly over 2.5 cm (1 in) long, hatch 13 to 19 weeks later. The hatchlings are about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in straight carapace length and, unlike the adult turtles, have keeled carapaces.

References

Further reading

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