''Sternotherus'' is a genus of turtles in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Kinosternidae including six species commonly known as musk turtles. The genus is endemic to
North America, occurring in the eastern third of the USA and southeast Ontario, Canada. Musk glands positioned near the bridge of the shell can produce foul smelling secretions when the turtles are threatened, although genital handling does not normally provoke a response. ''Sternotherus'' are moderately small turtles, with the largest species in the genus, the razor-backed musk turtle (''
S. carinatus''), attaining a maximum of 17.6 cm. in shell length. The
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...
is characteristically oval and domed (an exception being the flattened musk turtle, ''
S. depressus''), with most species having one or three keels on the back which may become smoother and obscure with age in some species. Musk turtles are generally drab in color, mostly black, gray, brown, olive, or ocher, which aid in camouflaging them in their natural habitats. The head is relatively large and stout, marked with spots, streaks, or strips. The
plastron has only 10 or 11 scutes, as opposed to 12, a more common condition in North American turtles. The tail is short, with males having a horny claw like tip.
''Sternotherus'' are largely aquatic, however some species frequently bask on fallen logs or rocks emerging from the water, and eastern musk turtles (''
S. odoratus'') occasionally leave the water to forage. ''Sternotherus'' are
omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...
and opportunistic generalist in their diet, although inclining toward being carnivorous, with
mollusks
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
(
gastropods
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. ...
and
bivalves
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, biv ...
) and insects making up a significant percentage of their diet. Some older adults develop large musculature on the head and expanded, crushing jaw surfaces aiding in the consumption of mollusk. Musk turtles are
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
with females producing one to six clutches a year. The typical clutch size is two to four eggs, although clutches may range from one to 13. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the incubation temperature. The eggs are deposited in shallow nest excavated on the banks or in woodlands a few meters from the water. Eggs may be laid singly, or in groups, and some species are known to share communal nesting areas.
[Ernst, Carl, H. and Jeffrey E. Lovich. 2009. ''Turtles of the United States and Canada, 2nd. Ed.'' The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD. xii, 827 pp. ]
Etymology
The generic name ''Sternotherus'' is Greek meaning hinged breast or chest, referring to the hinged
plastron.
[Zug, George. 1986. ]
Sternotherus.
' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 397:1-3. The trivial names, or specific epithets include: ''carinatus'' – Latin for keeled in reference to the shape of the
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...
;
[Iverson, John B. 1979. ]
Sternotherus carinatus
'' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 226:1-2. ''depressus'' – Latin for pressed down or low also referring to the shape of the carapace;
[Iverson, John B. 1977. ]
Sternotherus depressus
'' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 194: 1-2. ''intermedius'' – Latin for intermediate, historically believed to be a hybrid from between ''S. minor'' and ''S. peltifer'';
[Scott, Peter A., Travis C. Glenn, and , Leslie J. Rissler. 2017. ''Resolving taxonomic turbulence and uncovering cryptic diversity in the musk turtles (Sternotherus) using robust demographic modeling.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 120: 1-15.] ''minor'' – Latin referencing its relatively small size compared to ''S. carinatus'';
[Iverson, John B. 1977. ]
Sternotherus minor.
' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 195: 1-2. ''odoratus'' – Latin for having an odor, referring the smell of the musk produced by its scent glands;
[Reynolds, Samuel L. and Michael E. Seidel. 1982. ]
Sternotherus odoratus.
' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 287: 1-4. ''peltifer'' – Latin meaning bearing a small shield, in reference to the small size of the scutes on the bridge the species.
Taxonomy
''Sternotherus'' is one of four genera in the family
Kinosternidae including: narrow-bridged musk turtles (''
Claudius''), American mud turtles (''
Kinosternon
''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles.
Geographic range
They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexi ...
''), giant musk turtles (''
Staurotypus''), and musk turtles (''Sternotherus''). ''Sternotherus'' are closely related, similar in appearance, and sympatric in much of their range with some species of mud turtles (''Kinosternon''), and the two genera constitute the subfamily
Kinosterninae within the family Kinosternidae. In the past some taxonomist placed ''Sternotherus'' in the synonymy of the genus ''Kinosternon''
[Iverson, John B., 1991. ''Phylogenetic hypotheses for the evolution of modern kinosternine turtles.'' Herpetological Monographs, No. 5: 1-27.][Iverson, John B. 1992. ''A Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World.'' Green Nature Books Homestead, Florida. 363 pp. ] but they are generally regarded as two separate genera with six species currently (2022) recognized in the genus Sternotherus.
[Uetz, Peter, Paul Freed, , Aguilar, R. & Hošek, J. (eds.) (2021) ''The Reptile Database'': http://www.reptile-database.org, (accessed March 5, 2022)]
Genus
*''Sternotherus''
[Bell, T. ''in'' Gray, John Edward. 1825. ''A synopsis of the genera of reptiles and Amphibia, with a description of some new species.'' Annals of Philosophy 10: 193-217.] – musk turtles
Extant species
*''Sternotherus carinatus''
[Gray, John Edward. 1855 856 ''Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises).'' Taylor and Francis, London, 79 pp.] –
razor-backed musk turtle
*''Sternotherus depressus''
[Tinkle, Donald W., and Robert G. Webb 1955. ''A new species of Sternotherus with a discussion of the Sternotherus carinatus complex (Chelonia, Kinosternidae).'' Tulane Studies in Zoology 3 (3): 53.] –
flattened musk turtle
*''Sternotherus intermedius''
–
intermediate musk turtle
*''Sternotherus minor''
[ Agassiz, Louis 1857. ''Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America.'' Vol. 1. Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 452 pp.] –
loggerhead musk turtle
*''Sternotherus odoratus''
[Latreille, Pierre André. 1801 802 In: C.N.S. Sonnini de Manoncourt and P.A. Latreille. ''Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, avec Figures Déssinnées d'après Nature.'' Détérville, Paris, Vol. 1. xx + 280 p.] –
eastern musk turtle[Crother, Brian I. (ed.). 2017. ]
Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding.
' SSAR Herpetological Circular 43, 1–102 pp. ee page 90
*''Sternotherus peltifer''
[Smith, Hobart M. & Bryan P. Glass. 1947. ''A new musk turtle for southeastern United States.'' Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 37 (1): 22-24.] –
stripeneck musk turtle
Fossil species
*''†
Sternotherus palaeodorus''
''
Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...
'': A
binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Sternotherus''.
Description
Turtles in the genus ''Sternotherus'' are very similar to the American
mud turtles in the genus ''
Kinosternon
''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles.
Geographic range
They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexi ...
'', but tend to have a more
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a ...
d
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...
, with a distinctive keel down the center of it. ''
Sternotherus odoratus'' typically grows to only in straight carapace length at full maturity, with females often being larger than males.
Distribution

The genus ''Sternotherus'' is endemic to North America. It occurs in the approximant eastern third of the USA and extreme southeast
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. The eastern musk turtle (''S. odoratus''), the most wide-ranging species of the genus, occurs in southern
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
, south to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
, west into eastern
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
,
Oklahoma, and
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
, and north to southeast
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, southern
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, and the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...
region of southern Ontario. It is generally absent from higher elevations in the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
.
The other species in the genus largely occur within the southern regions of the eastern musk turtle's range. Two species have relatively limited distributions, the flattened musk turtle (''S. depressus'') is endemic to north-central
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
in the
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the ...
basin above the
fall line, and the intermediate musk turtle (''S. intermedius'') is found in southeastern Alabama and adjacent areas of the
Florida panhandle
The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the G ...
in the
Choctawhatchee,
Conecuh,
Yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In ...
,
Pea,
Blackwater Blackwater or Black Water may refer to:
Health and ecology
* Blackwater (coal), liquid waste from coal preparation
* Blackwater (waste), wastewater containing feces, urine, and flushwater from flush toilets
* Blackwater fever, an acute kidney disea ...
, and
Escambia rivers. The razor-backed musk turtle (''S. carinatus'') occurs throughout
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
, and neighboring areas of
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...
, Oklahoma, and Texas. The loggerhead musk turtle (''S. minor)'' is found in extreme southeast Alabama,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
, and northern Florida. The stripe-necked musk turtle (''S. peltifer'') predominantly occurs in Alabama and Mississippi with some peripheral records from Georgia, and Louisiana, and ranging into northern watersheds in eastern
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
with marginal records from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
.
[Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins 2016. ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition.'' Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiii + 494 pp. ]ages 227-229 Ages may refer to:
* Advanced glycation end-products, known as AGEs
* Ages, Kentucky, census-designated place, United States
* ''Ages'' (album) by German electronic musician Edgar Froese
*The geologic time scale, a system of chronological measurem ...
Ecology and natural history

Diet: ''Sternotherus'' are omnivorous. The loggerhead (''S. minor'') and stripe-necked musk turtle (''S. peltifer'') have been described as opportunistic generalist tending toward carnivory.
Mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...
make up a significant portion of the diet in all species, particularly adults. Juveniles and sub-adults (under 5 cm.) feed on a higher percentage of aquatic insects, algae, and carrion. An
ontogenetic
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the s ...
change in diet occurs and adults shift to an omnivorous diet with a high percentage of mollusk. Food items include mollusks (
gastropods
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. ...
and
bivalves
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, biv ...
), insects (including larva, adults, aquatic and terrestrial),
crustaceans
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gr ...
(crayfish and crabs), worms (earthworms and leeches), amphibians (tadpoles and small frogs),
carrion
Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh.
Overview
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...
, filamantous green algae, parts of vascular plants and seeds (e.g. ''
Prunus
''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.
Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...
'', ''
Sambucus
''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ...
'', ''
Ulmus
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of No ...
'', ''
Podostemum''). Some novel and less common documented food items include spiders, millipedes, small fish and fish eggs,
isopods
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, an ...
, and small turtles. The flattened musk turtle (''S. depressus'') is known to feed on introduced Asian clams (''Corbicula maniliensis'').
[Marion, Ken R., William A. Cox, and Carl H. Ernst. 1991. ''Prey of the flattened musk turtle, Sternotherus depressus.'' Journal of Herpetology 25.3 (1991): 385-387][ Mahmoud, I. Y. 1968. ''Feeding behavior in kinosternid turtles.'' Herpetologica, 24(4), 300-305.]
The razor-backed (''S. carinatus'') and eastern musk turtles (''S. odoratus'') are known to be bottom feeders, often searching with the neck extended and probing the mud and sand with their heads.
Olfaction is probably important in the location and selection of food items. However, musk turtles occasionally feed at the surface and are also known to eat out of the water. Eastern musk turtles (''S. odoratus'') have occasionally been observed leaving the water at dusk to feed on slugs on land. Some larger adults develop
hypertrophied head musculature and expanded crushing surfaces on both the upper and lower jaws that aid in eating mollusk. One study concluded razor-backed (''S. carinatus'') and eastern musk turtles (''S. odoratus'') were "euryphagous with food preferences directly related to the availability of food."
Another study found the diet of the eastern musk turtle (''S. odoratus'') varied seasonally and males ate more insects and females more snails.
[Bancroft, G. Thomas, J. Steve Godley, Dena T. Gross, N. Nan Rojas, Dareth A. Sutphen, and Roy W. McDiarmid. 1983. ''Large-scale operations management test of use of the white amur for control of problem aquatic plants: the herpetofauna of Lake Conway: species accounts''. Misc, Pap. A-85-5. Army Eng. Waterw. Exp. Stn. Vickburg, Mississippi.] Digestive turnover rates, from ingestion to defecation, of 49 hours (''S. odoratus'') to 57 hours (''S. minor, S. peltifer'') have been reported, although temperatures may influence these times.
[Parmenter, Robert R. 1981. ''Digestive turnover rates in freshwater turtles: the influence of temperature and body size.'' Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 70.2: 235-238.]
Habitat:''Sternotherus'' are largely aquatic, but some species bask frequently, and may occasionally leave the water to forage and lay eggs. Fallen logs and deadwood submerged and emerging from the water are important for shelter and basking sites for all species of ''Sternotherus''. Habitat preferences varies among some species. The eastern musk turtle (''S. odoratus'') tends to be generalist and may occur in almost any body of water, as are loggerheads (''S. minor'') to a lesser extent, although water with slow or no currents, soft bottoms, and shelter in the form of logs and rocks are usually preferred over very deep water and swift currents. Eastern musk turtles have been found at depths of 9 meters but, shallower water (ca. 1 meter), are more typical. Brackish water is usually avoided. Depths of 0.5–1.5 meters are typical for loggerheads (''S. minor''), but they have been found at 13 meters.
[Hensley, F. R. 1995. ''Sternotherus minor (loggerhead musk turtle) Foraging depth.'' Herpetological Review 26: 99.] The razor-backed musk turtle (''S. carinatus'') favors the relatively deeper waters of rivers, creeks, bayous, and associated oxbow lakes, backwater swamps, and floodplains where slower currents and soft substrates are found.
The stripe-necked musk turtle (''S. peltifer'') are
lotic
River ecosystems are flowing waters that drain the landscape, and include the biotic (living) interactions amongst plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions of its many parts.Angelier, ...
, preferring the currents of rivers and streams although they can be abundant in lakes and impoundments along these waterways as well.
The flattened musk turtle (''S. depressus'') is an inhabitant of clear, rocky to sandy bottom creeks and streams above the fall line, typically 1.5 meters or less in depth, taking shelter under logs and rocks, or burring in the sand.
The intermediate musk turtle (''S. intermedius'') was regarded as a hybrid between ''S m. minor'' and ''S. m. peltifer'' as recently as 2017, and few if any studies specifically examining the ecology of the species have been published (as of 2022).
In one ecological study of
kinosternid turtles conducted over five years in
Oklahoma, permanent bodies of lotic (moving) water in wooded areas such as large rivers and creeks were the favored habitats of both razor-backed (''S. carinatus'') and eastern musk turtles (''S. odoratus''), however, ''S. carinatus'' was generally found in deeper water. No sexual, age, or seasonal differences were observed in habitat selection other than juveniles preferred shallower water than adults. The two species were strictly aquatic and terrestrial migrations occurred only during the breeding season. When inactive, both specie hid under rocks, logs, and overhanging banks, but did not show the burrowing proclivities that ''
Kinosternon
''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles.
Geographic range
They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexi ...
'' did. Turtles were found in abundance in quiet waters where submerged and floating vegetation such as algae, ''
Nasturtium'', ''
Polygonum
''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In t ...
'', ''
Myriophyllum'', ''
Najas'', and ''
Potamogeton
''Potamogeton'' is a genus of aquatic, mostly freshwater, plants of the family Potamogetonaceae. Most are known by the common name pondweed, although many unrelated plants may be called pondweed, such as Canadian pondweed (''Elodea canadensis'') ...
'' formed in mats and provided food and suitable shelter. Light intensity,
pH levels, and transparency of water were examined, although it was concluded they were probably not directly limiting factors for the turtles, but did affect the distribution of vegetation and prey which provided food for the turtles..
[Mahmound, I. Y. 1969. ''Comparative ecology of the kinosternid turtles of Oklahoma.'' Southwestern Naturalist 14: 31-66.]
Behavior: ''Sternotherus'' is a highly aquatic genus. But some species, like the
common musk turtle, are known to bask on fallen trees and coarse woody debris on shorelines.
The thermal activity range and annual activity period was longer for ''Sternothaerus'' than ''Kinosternon''
Gallery
File:Razorback Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) (24797975727).jpg, Razorback musk turtle (''Sternotherus carinatus''), Saline County, Arkansas (July 28, 2017)
File:Razorback Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) Hardin Co. Texas. photo W. L. Farr.jpg, Razorback musk turtle (''Sternotherus carinatus''), in-situ, Hardin County, Texas (October 10, 2013)
File:Sternotherus odoratus, Kerr Co. TX; 8 May 2014.jpg, Eastern musk turtle (''Sternotherus odoratus''), in-situ, Kerr County, Texas (8 May 2014)
References
Further reading
*
Bell T (1821). ''In'':
Gray JE (1821). "A Synopsis of the Genera of Reptiles and Amphibia, with a Description of some new Species". ''Annals of Philosophy, New Series''
econd Series10: 193-217. (''Sternotherus'', new genus, p. 211).
*
Goin CJ, Goin OB,
Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. . (Genus ''Sternotherus'', pp. 136, 263-264).
*
Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. . (Genus ''Sternotherus'', p.28).
External links
*Walker, Matt (2010).
Turtle 'super tongue' lets reptile survive underwater".''BBC Earth News''. 20 May 2010.
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2137899
Taxa named by Thomas Bell (zoologist)
Turtle genera