Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor)
Appearance: Body length 3 1/8-5 1/4" (8- 13.5 cm). There are ribs on the carapace (especially in larvae), and the vertebral shield is imbricate; brown or orange, with ridges at the intersections. Dark edging; perhaps dark dotted or radiating stripe-like patterns. The plastron is small, pink or yellow, with an inconspicuous hinge joint, and a single throat shield only on the chin. There are tentacles on the top and dark freckles or stripes on the head. The male has a large tail with a spine shape; the tail of the female only reaches the edge of the carapace.
Growth:Lay 1-4 clutches of 2-3 eggs each. The eggs are oval and 1 1/8" (29 mm) long. Someone once created 17 nests of authoritative musk turtle eggs in a 5" high pile of sand next to a flowing spring. Turtle eggs are as delicate and fragile as porcelain. They are translucent pink when first laid, and gradually turn to opaque white as the embryo develops. The incubation period is 13-16 weeks.
Recreational conditions: Large springs, streams, rivers, oxbow lakes, swamps, and pools created by limestone pits.
Dispersion Category:Central Georgia, to central Florida, west to eastern Mississippi and extreme eastern Louisiana, and north through all of eastern Tennessee.
Subspecies: The named subspecies (S. m. minor), with three ribs and a large number of freckles on the head; scattered in central Georgia and southeastern Alabama to central Florida. The striped-necked musk turtle, S. m. peltifer, has a single spine and a striped neck; found in southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee, southward to the Gulf of Mexico and Pearl River, Mississippi , and Louisiana.
Highly aquatic. They can often be seen wandering along the bottom of the water, among rocks, heavy trees and plants. The larvae mainly eat insects, while the adults eat snails and clams. The turtle can use its jaws toTheir vast appearance crushes them. The majestic musk turtle competes well with Stinkpots (Mississippi musk turtles), whose hatchlings can release their odor even before they emerge from their shells!