Florida Turtles
Gulf coast spiny softshell apalone spinifera aspera.
Florida turtles. Loggerhead musk turtle sternotherus minor. The florida box turtle typically boasts yellow radiating bands on a very domed shell carapace as well as yellow stripes on each side of its head. Alabama map turtle graptemys pulchra. The males of this subspecies show a very noticeable concavity on the bottom of their shells or plastron whereas the plastron of male three toed box turtles tends to be nearly flat.
Newly hatched florida sea turtles are consuming dangerous quantities of floating plastic. Non native in florida keys apalone mutica le sueur 1827 smooth softshell apalone mutica calvata webb 1959 gulf coast smooth softshell apalone spinifera le sueur 1827 spiny softshell apalone spinifera aspera agassiz 1857 gulf coast spiny softshell. By david duffy and catherine eastman the conversation. While most turtles have hard shells composed of scutes the florida softshell has a cartilaginous carapace covered in leathery skin.
Eastern mud turtle kinosternon subrubrum. Loggerhead musk turtle sternotherus minor minor. Captive wildlife no longer issues that class iii permit for listed turtle. It is larger dives deeper travels farther and tolerates colder waters than any other sea turtle.
In this article i am going to take a closer look at each species and cover a few basic things about them things like the appearance lifespan how big it can get diet where it lives conservation status and reproduction. Florida is home to 34 turtle species. Leatherback dermochelys coriacea the leatherback is a fascinating and unique animal even among sea turtles. Escambia map turtles two.
Common slider trachemys scripta kinosternidae mud and musk turtles striped mud turtle kinosternon baurii. Box turtles two. Gopher tortoise gopherus polyphemus. Florida water turtles most people associate florida turtles with the family emydidae the fresh water turtles.
Most of these species can be spotted in river and other wetland areas in the panhandle and the northern areas of the state. No one may sell turtles taken from the wild in florida. Approximately 100 to 1 000 green turtles nest on florida s beaches each year from june through late september. Diamondback terrapins two.
Florida red bellied cooter pseudemys nelsoni. Gulf coast box turtle terrapene carolina major. Florida snapping turtle chelydra serpentina osceola. Florida counts thirteen species listed below.
Gulf coast smooth softshell apalone mutica calvata. Fans of florida turtles need not fret. Checklist of florida turtles click on thumbnails for a larger view apalone ferox schneider 1783 florida softshell. In addition no one may buy sell or possess for sale alligator snapping turtles barbour s map turtles suwannee cooters or parts thereof.
