Carapace yellow to brown, smooth, keelless, and usually flattened; scutes dark-bordered. Elevated 9th and 10th marginal scutes (lacking in young). Plastron yellow to brown, with dark pigment along seams; double-hinged, with 11 scutes. Jaw and throat white or yellow, often spotted. Male has concave plastron; long, thick spine-tipped tail; and rough scale patches on insides of hind legs. Juveniles have a dark spot at rear edge of each carapace scute.
Ten Facts about Yellow Mud Turtle
- Length up to 3 1/2-6 3/8" (9-16.2 cm).
- The Yellow Mud Turtle has a lifespan of 15 years.
- Yellow Mud Turtles are omnivorous. Their diet includes worms, crayfish, frogs, snails, fish, fairy shrimp, slugs, leeches, tadpoles, and other aquatic insects and invertebrates.
- Females excavate a nest in the soil near a water source, deposit their eggs and exhibit a pattern of parental care.
- The female lays a clutch of 1-9 eggs.
- Attain Sexual maturity is reached in 6-7 years.
- Prefers quiet or slow-moving bodies of freshwater with mud or sandy bottoms.
- These turtles range throughout most of New Mexico and Oklahoma and parts of surrounding states including Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. They are found throughout Texas.
- The yellow mud turtle is capable of emitting a strong odor. When alarmed, it responds by secreting this odor from the musk glands that are found on each side of its body.
- Also known as Kinosternon flavescens.
