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. The average size of a loggerhead musk turtle is about 3 to 5 inches in carapace length. There are two subspecies of Sternotherus minor: Sternotherus minor minor (loggerhead musk turtle) and Sternotherus minor peltifer (stripe-necked musk turtle).

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. The diet of an adult loggerhead musk turtles consists mostly of clams and snails.

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.

Description
The loggerhead musk turtle gets its common name from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). 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. As juveniles, these turtles have three keels on their carapace that usually disappear by adulthood. The loggerhead musk turtle has barbels present on the chin only, not on the throat.

Subspecies
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. 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. 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).

Habitat
S. minor lives in clean freshwater habitats such as springs, streams, runs, wetlands, ponds, and rivers.

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

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. 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. 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.

Diet
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.

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

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

Mating Behavior
In the wild, mating takes place underwater in shaded areas. 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.

Conservation and Threats
The IUCN has listed the Loggerhead musk turtle as an animal of least concern.

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. 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.