False Map Turtle

Description:

A nice female false map spotted in a large scour hole created by the 2011 Missouri River flood. She was caught with a hoop net trap for a mark-recapture study in Iowa and Nebraska. Despite it's common name, these turtles are actually a map turtle species.

Habitat:

Inhabits rivers, lakes, ponds, oxbows and occasionally marshlands; mud bottoms are preferred, as are areas with dense aquatic vegetation, and abundant basking sites.

Notes:

False map turtles are the sweetest and most shy turtles I've ever worked with. I have never had one attempt to bite me, and if it weren't for trapping them, I'd hardly ever get close enough to get to see their beautiful markings.