Sternotherus odoratus

Sternotherus odoratus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Kinosternidae
Genus:	Sternotherus
Species:	S. odoratus
Binomial name
Sternotherus odoratus (Latreille, 1801)
Synonyms
Testudo odorata Latreille, 1801 in Sonnini & Latreille Testudo glutinata Daudin, 1801 Emys odorata Schweigger, 1812 ? Terrapene boscii Merrem, 1820 Terrapene odorata Merrem, 1820 Cistuda odorata Say, 1825 Sternothaerus odoratus Bell, 1825 Clemmys glutinata Ritgen, 1828 Kinosternon odoratum Bonaparte, 1830 Didicla odorata Rafinesque, 1832 Staurotypus odoratus Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Cistudo odorata LeConte, 1854 Kinosternum guttatum LeConte, 1854 Sternotherus odoratus LeConte, 1854 Aromochelys odorata Gray, 1856 Cinosternum odoratum Agassiz, 1857 Ozotheca odorata Agassiz, 1857 Ozotheca tristycha Agassiz, 1857 Ozhoteca odorata García Cubas, 1884 Ozothea odorata Velasco, 1892 Sternotherus odoratus Conant, 1975 Armochelys odoratum Zug, 1986

Sternotherus odoratus is a species of small turtle native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known as the common musk turtle or stinkpot due to its ability to release a foul musky odor to deter predation. They are sometimes bred specifically to be kept as pets.

Description

Stinkpots are black, grey or brown turtles with highly domed shells. They grow to approximately 8 to 14 cm (about 3 to 5 inches). They have long necks and rather short legs. Males can usually be distinguished from females by their significantly longer tails. The head is vaguely triangular in shape, with a pointed snout and sharp beak, and yellow-green striping from the tip of the nose to the neck. Barbels are present on the chin and the throat. Their plastrons are relatively small, offering little protection for the legs, and have only one transverse, anterior hinge.^[1] Algae often grow on their carapaces. Their tiny tongues are covered in bud-like papillae that allow them to respire underwater.^[2]

Behavior

Musk turtles are almost entirely aquatic, spending the vast majority of their time in shallow, heavily vegetated waters of slow moving creeks, or in ponds. They typically only venture onto land when the female lays her eggs, or in some cases, to bask. They can climb sloping, partially submerged tree trunks or branches to as much as 2 m above the water surface, and have been known to drop into boats or canoes passing underneath.^[3]

Diet

They are carnivorous, consuming a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates, including crayfish, freshwater clams, snails, and various insects. They will also eat fish and carrion. Their common names are derived from the scent glands located just under the rear of their shell, which allows them to release a foul, musky odor to deter predation, which hardly ever occurs^{[citation needed]}. Wild turtles often will not hesitate to bite if harassed, though they are not particularly fast-moving and their reach is limited.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs in the spring, and females lay two to 9 elliptical, hard-shelled eggs in a shallow burrow or under shoreline debris. The eggs hatch in late summer or early fall. Hatchlings are usually less than one inch long. Their lifespan, as with most turtles, is quite long, with specimens in captivity being recorded at 50+ years of age. Male stinkpots usually reproduce in water temperature which is neither very warm nor very cool. Females mostly reproduce either in the temperature of very cool or very warm but, not in between like the males.

View of the plastron

Geographic distribution

The common musk turtle ranges in Canada in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and in the Eastern United States from southern Maine in the north, south through to Florida, and west to central Texas, with a disjunct population located in central Wisconsin.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by the French taxonomist Pierre André Latreille in 1802, from a specimen collected near Charleston, South Carolina. At the time, almost all turtles were classified in the genus Testudo, and he gave it the name Testudo odorata. In 1825, John Edward Gray created the genus Sternotherus to include species of musk turtle and it became Sternotherus odoratus. The species has been redescribed numerous times by many authors, leading to a large amount of confusion in its classification. To confuse it further, the differences between mud turtles and musk turtles are a point of debate, with some researchers considering them the same genus, Kinosternon.

Conservation

Though the common musk turtle holds no federal conservation status in the US and is quite common throughout most of its range, it is listed as a threatened species in the state of Iowa. In Canada, the stinkpot is listed as a species at risk, and is protected by the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).^[4]

In captivity

Due to its small size, the common musk turtle generally makes a better choice for a pet turtle than other commonly available species, such as the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). Throughout their range, wild-caught specimens are commonly available, but the species is also frequently captive-bred specifically for the pet trade. (In the United States, USDA regulations ban the sale of turtles under four inches long as pets. This technically excludes all musk turtles.) They readily accept a diet of commercially available turtle pellets and various insects, such as crickets and mealworms, or earthworms. Due to their almost entirely aquatic nature, common musk turtles also do not necessarily require the same ultraviolet (UV) lighting most other turtle species do for proper captive care, though it is usually recommended to give them a more natural light cycle than normal indoor lighting and because some UV lighting will strengthen the shell.

References

1. ^ Conant, Roger.1975.A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America.Houghton Mifflin. Boston
2. ^ Walker, Matt (2010-05-20). "Turtle 'super tongue' lets reptile survive underwater". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8693000/8693794.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
3. ^ Conant, Roger.1975.A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America.Houghton Mifflin.Boston
4. ^ http://www.registrelep.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=706

• The Center for Reptile & Amphibian Conservation: Common Musk Turtle
• eNature.com Nature Guides: Common Musk Turtle
• Sternotherus odoratus in Connecticut

External links

• Tortoise Trust: Common Musk Turtle
• Stinkpot Turtle, Natural Resources Canada