User:Olive Ridley Turtle/Loggerhead musk turtle

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The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor) is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. This turtle has a large head which has a light colored background with dark spots or stripes present on the head and neck.[1] The average size of a loggerhead musk turtle is about 3 to 5 inches in carapace length.[1] There are two subspecies of Sternotherus minor: Sternotherus minor minor (loggerhead musk turtle) and Sternotherus minor peltifer (stripe-necked musk turtle).[1]

The species is native to the southern United States, being found in rivers, wetlands, and streams in states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia.[2][3] The diet of an adult loggerhead musk turtles consists mostly of clams and snails.[4][5]

Currently, the conservation status of the loggerhead musk turtle is least concern and its common threats include habitat loss and human interactions such as car or boating accidents.[2]

Description[edit]

The loggerhead musk turtle gets its common name from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus).[6] Its head has a light colored background with dark spots/stripes. Hatchlings are about 1 inch in carapace length and grow up to around 3 to 5 inches by adulthood.[1][7] As juveniles, these turtles have three keels on their carapace that usually disappear by adulthood.[1][7] The loggerhead musk turtle has barbels present on the chin only, not on the throat.[6][1]

Subspecies[edit]

There are two subspecies of Sternotherus minor: Sternotherus minor minor and Sternotherus minor peltifer, also known as the loggerhead musk turtle and the stripe-necked musk turtle, respectively.[1] The two subspecies are visibly different, with S. m. minor having a darker tan colored head covered with dark spots and three keels on its carapace and S. m. peltifer having a yellow colored head with some dark spots, but mostly dark stripes and a ridged carapace.[1] S. m. minor are generally a little larger in size than S. m. peltifer ranging from 3 to 5.625 inches (7.5 to 14.5 cm) in carapace length, while S. m. peltifer range from 3 to 4.625 inches (7.5 to 11.7 cm).[7]

Sternotherus minor peltifer

Habitat[edit]

S. minor lives in clean freshwater habitats such as springs, streams, runs, wetlands, ponds, and rivers.[3][2]

Distribution[edit]

Sternotherus minor is found in freshwaters throughout the southeast in states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. [2]

Distribution may vary depending on the subspecies. S. m. minor is generally found throughout Georgia and north Florida and can be found in rivers such as the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and Apalachicola.[7][8] The S. m. peltifer is generally found throughout Alabama, east Mississippi, and east Tennessee and can be found in rivers such as the Tennessee and Pearl.[7][8] They share parts of their range in west Georgia, southeast Alabama, and west Florida and can both be found in rivers such as the Choctawhatchee and Perdido.[7][8]

Diet[edit]

The diet of the loggerhead musk turtle changes as it grows. Younger turtles have a more varied diet, eating insects, snails, crayfish, and clams while adults eat mostly snails and clams since adults are larger.[4][5]

Loggerhead musk turtles forage in streams with sandy or vegetated bottoms with varying speeds of currents.[5] They spend most of their time in the water with less time spent basking out in the sun as is observed in other species.[9]

Freshwater snail

Reproduction[edit]

S. minor is oviparous.[3] Between August and June, females can lay up to five clutches with one to four eggs per clutch.[9][10] Larger females tend to have larger eggs and more eggs per clutch.[9] Females lay their eggs in 8 to 15 cm holes on the shore.[9] Hatchlings typically have a carapace length of 2.47 cm.[9]

Mating Behavior[edit]

In the wild, mating takes place underwater in shaded areas.[10] Males exhibit several different behaviors during the mating process including: cloacal sniffing, bridge sniffing, mounting, following the female, biting, moving the head from one side to another, and interlocking of tails.[11]

Conservation and Threats[edit]

The IUCN has listed the Loggerhead musk turtle as an animal of least concern.[2]

Some common threats to this turtle include habitat loss, negative interactions with humans, such as being killed by cars or boats or dying after biting fish hooks, and indirect threats such as threats to their food sources.[2] While this turtle is vulnerable to habitat loss, many waterways within its range are protected by Florida state law. Also, three states within its range (Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee) list it as a protected species.[2]

Loggerhead musk turtles may be injured or die after biting onto fishing hooks.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h A., Buhlmann, Kurt (2008). Turtles of the southeast. Univ. of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-2902-4. OCLC 263712429.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Dijk (N/A), Peter Paul van (2010-08-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Sternotherus minor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  3. ^ a b c Powell, Robert (2016). Peterson field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central North America. Roger Conant, Joseph T. Collins, Isabelle Hunt Conant, Tom R. Johnson, Errol D. Hooper, Travis William Taggart (Fourth ed.). Boston. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. OCLC 913923783.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b Pfaller, Joseph Bryce (2009). "Bite-Force Generation and Feeding Biomechanics in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus Minor: Implications for the Ontogeny of Performance". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Cox, William A.; Wyatt, Steven T.; Wilhelm, Walter E.; Marion, Ken R. (1988). "Infection of the Turtle, Sternotherus minor, by the Lung Fluke, Heronimus mollis: Incidence of Infection and Correlations to Host Life History and Ecology in a Florida Spring". Journal of Herpetology. 22 (4): 488. doi:10.2307/1564348. ISSN 0022-1511.
  6. ^ a b Conant, Roger (1975). A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Isabelle Hunt Conant ([2d ed.] ed.). Boston,: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-19979-4. OCLC 1423604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Conant, Roger; Collins, Joseph T. (1998). A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-90452-7.
  8. ^ a b c Iverson, John B. (1977-08-25). "Geographic Variation in the Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor". Copeia. 1977 (3): 502. doi:10.2307/1443269. ISSN 0045-8511.
  9. ^ a b c d e Cox, William A.; Marion, Ken R. (1978). "Observations on the female reproductive cycle and associated phenomena in spring-dwelling populations of Sternotherus minor in North Florida (Reptilia: Testudines)". Herpetologica: 20–33 – via JSTOR.
  10. ^ a b Cox, William A.; Nowak, Martin C.; Marion, Ken R. (1980-06-06). "Observations on Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor". Journal of Herpetology. 14 (2): 200. doi:10.2307/1563862. ISSN 0022-1511.
  11. ^ Bels, Vincent L.; Crama, Yves J.-M. (1994-08-17). "Quantitative Analysis of the Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle Sternotherus minor (Reptilia: Kinosternidae) with Comments on Courtship Behavior in Turtles". Copeia. 1994 (3): 676. doi:10.2307/1447183. ISSN 0045-8511.
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