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Project Noah Nature School
Sternotherus oderatus
Hatchlings average 23 mm (7/8 inch) in carapace length. Females lay between 2 to 5 eggs per clutch. Eggs are laid in late June through August. Common musk turtles have two distinct yellow/tan lines on their head.
Common musk turtles occur throughout the eastern U.S. in a variety of aquatic habitats. They are most common in shallow water-bodies with low currents, abundant aquatic vegetation, and soft organic bottoms.
This hatchling is from the herpetology lab at Missouri State University when I was there for graduate school. It hatched in our lab from a clutch of eggs from a wild-caught adult common musk turtle from Lake Springfield.
Spotted on Sep 6, 2006
Submitted on May 23, 2012
4 Comments
cute!
How fun. I love little turtles. That must have been a great class.
Bandhturtlesite - I've never seen one in the wild before, only adults. See the notes above - this one is a captive animal.
Wow great find! Common Musk Turtle hatchlings are very secretive and are not spotted in the wild often.