Yellow mud turtle
The yellow mud turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) is a small reptile native to the central and southwestern regions of the United States and Mexico. Recognized by their yellow to brown shells and yellow to gray skin, these turtles typically inhabit quiet waters such as swamps, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, where they prefer muddy or sandy bottoms with abundant plant life. Adult yellow mud turtles generally measure between four to five inches in length and possess flat heads and webbed feet, making them well-adapted to their aquatic environments.
These turtles are omnivorous and utilize a unique feeding method known as the "gape and suck" technique, allowing them to consume a diverse diet that includes crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. In colder months, yellow mud turtles hibernate in burrows or under leaf piles. Mating occurs in spring, with females laying two to four eggs during the breeding season. After laying, the females leave, and the young hatchlings are independent from the start. The average lifespan of a yellow mud turtle is about 10 to 15 years, though some individuals can live up to 40 years. Currently, they are not considered a threatened species, making them a stable presence in their native habitats.
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Yellow mud turtle
The yellow mud turtle is native to the central and southwestern United States and Mexico. Yellow mud turtles have yellow to brown shells and yellow to gray skin. They usually live in the mud or sand on the bottom of their water homes.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Kinosterniidae
Genus: Kinosternon
Species: Flavescens
Yellow mud turtles live in the quiet waters of swamps, sloughs, sinkholes, rivers, creeks, lakes, reservoirs, cisterns, and cattle tanks. They prefer walking along the bottoms of waterways with mud or sand bottoms with a lot of plant growth. Yellow mud turtles are usually found in the southwestern United States from southern Nebraska, through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. They have also been found in northwestern Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Yellow mud turtles spend much of their time basking, or sunbathing, on logs for warmth and foraging on land for food. They are omnivorous turtles, which means they eat both meat and plants. When they eat, they open their mouths and expand their throats, sucking in a variety of crustacea, mollusks, insects, frogs, salamanders, and plant life. This method of eating is called the gape and suck method. Along with their food, a rush of water also enters their mouths. The turtles eat the food and push the water back out. During the colder months, yellow mud turtles dig burrows in old stumps, logs, or leaf piles and hibernate, or rest, through the winter.
Yellow mud turtles grow to be between four and five inches (10 and 13 centimeters) long. Like other turtles, they are soft-bodied reptiles with hard, protective, outer shells. These shells are made up of two main parts: carapaces and plastrons. The carapaces cover the turtles' backs, while the plastrons cover the turtles' bellies. Carapaces and plastrons are joined by a bridge of tiny bones that extends upward from the plastrons. As their name suggests, yellow mud turtles have yellow to brown carapaces and plastrons. Their skin is yellow to gray. Yellow mud turtles have flat heads and webbed feet. The males also have long, thick tails.
Mating season for yellow mud turtles takes places in the spring. The females lay their eggs during April and May. Sometimes, yellow mud turtles may mate a second time in September. They usually lay two to four hard, white eggs in each clutch, or batch. After the females have laid their eggs, they have no further relationship with their young. When the eggs hatch, the young turtles, or hatchlings, make their way into the water and survive on their own. The time between the laying and hatching of the eggs is known as the incubation period.
The average life span of yellow mud turtles is about 10 to 15 years, although they can live up to 40 years. The yellow mud turtle is not considered a threatened species.
Bibliography
University of Nebraska - Lincoln. “Yellow Mud Turtle.” Amphibians, Turtles & Reptiles of Nebraska, 2024, herpneb.unl.edu/yellow-mud-turtle. Accessed 16 Mar. 2024.
Weiss, Bradley. “ADW: Kinosternon Flavescens: Information.” Animal Diversity Web, 2009, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Kinosternon‗flavescens. Accessed 16 Mar. 2024.