REPTILIA (Reptiles) TESTUDINES (Turtles) KINOSTERNIDAE (Mud and Musk Turtles)
Yellow Mud Turtle
Kinosternon flavescens
(Agassiz 1857)
kī-nō-stĭr-nŏn — flā-vĕs-ĭns
Conservation Status:
State: None
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S5 - Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: None
Diagnosis:
The Yellow Mud Turtle is the only turtle in
Nebraska that has two hinges on its plastron rather than one or no hinge. Its unpatterned carapace is smooth and
uniformly an olive to yellowish-brown color.
Often times the dorsal portion of the carapace is flattened. The double-hinged plastron is yellow and
unmarked. There are no markings on the
yellow to green to gray skin and there are pronounced tubercles on the chin. The anterior margin of the upper jaw is
hooked. Size ranges from 5.0-7.0 inches
(12.7-17.8 cm).
Distribution:
The Yellow Mud Turtle is primarily a short to
mixed-grass prairie species found in the southwestern Great Plains with several
isolated populations far from the general range. The primary range extends from southwestern
Nebraska south through the western two-thirds of Texas and into northern Mexico
and west into eastern and extreme southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona
as well as adjacent areas in Mexico.
Isolated populations occur in the northwestern Sand Hills of Nebraska,
the four-state area where Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma converge,
western Illinois and eastern Iowa, and a small area in east Texas. In Nebraska, aside from the Sand Hills
wetlands, this species is restricted to the Republican River and its tributaries
in the southwestern part of the state.
It is protected from commercial collection and only three individuals
may be collected by any person in the state.
(, Museum Voucher) (, Observation) (, Literature Record) (, iNat Record), ( Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area.
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Occurrence Summary:
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350
Records
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350
Museum Vouchers
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0
Other Observations
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Arthur (6); Brown (15); Chase (4); Cherry (117); Dundy (25); Furnas (4); Garden (169); Harlan (1); Hitchcock (3); Kearney (1); Nuckolls (4); Webster (1);
Natural History:
Yellow Mud Turtles are active from April through
October with a brief mid-summer aestivation period during July and August, at
which time they leave their aquatic habitats and migrate to upland areas and
bury themselves underground. Courtship
and mating activities normally take place shortly after emergence from winter
hibernation. During May, females migrate
fair distances to south-facing, sparsely-vegetated hillsides to nest, and this
is the only species in the world that nests while completely underground. Eggs are elliptical and hard-shelled, and
they hatch between August and October.
Western Hognose Snakes (Heterodon nasicus) are the primary predators of
Yellow Mud Turtle eggs and hatchlings.
Yellow Mud Turtles are mainly carnivorous and feed on snails,
crustaceans, earthworms, amphibian larvae, fish, and carrion. Some vegetable material may be eaten as well.
This turtle is a resident of short and mixed-grass prairies. Nearly any body of standing or slow-moving
water – permanent or temporary – within these grasslands can be considered
suitable habitat for the Yellow Mud Turtle. However true to its name, those
with muddy or sandy substrates are preferred.
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1980
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Iverson, John B. and S.A. Iverson. A bibliography to the mud and musk turtle family Kinosternidae. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service 48():1-72
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