Identification Florida Land Turtles
More than 30 species of turtle call florida home.
Identification florida land turtles. To learn more about each type of turtle just click on the image or title and you will be taken to a more in depth overview of the turtle and most have guides on water turtle care as well as box turtle care. While the majority are primarily aquatic several varieties live on the land such as box turtles and gopher tortoises. Follow these steps to identify a turtle. Several varieties of box turtle as well as the gopher tortoise.
Often they are crossing the roads. If you have pet turtles knowing how to identify a turtle is a must. How aquatic turtles hibernate how land turtles hibernate how sea turtles. Florida s pleasant climate and warm waters offers refuge for several types of turtles.
If you must intervene simply help the turtle get to its destination by gently. In addition to size as a key identification trait the stripes along the shell of the striped mud turtle represents a good field identification clue. Checklist of florida turtles click on thumbnails for a larger view apalone ferox schneider 1783 florida softshell. Florida is home to 34 turtle species.
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. Examples include greek tortoises russian tortoises indian star tortoises and red footed tortoises. The name gopher tortoise is a reference to the pocket gopher a small mammal which also creates lengthy burrows. Four species of mud turtles and musk turtles can also be found in most areas of florida.
Remaining number with state bridge inframarginal scute number 4 2 3 1 bridge inguinal scutes developed absent 1 poorly 1 well 1 bridge width 1 2 or more of abdominal shield 1. When land tortoises move they walk on their toes. For land turtle care check out our tortoise species page. Florida land turtles learn about florida land turtles including florida gopher totoise florida tortoises box turtles florida box turtle gulf coast box turtle.
More than 30 species of turtle call florida home and while the majority are primarily aquatic a handful go about their business mostly on land. To best identify the turtle species strictly follow the steps. From time to time we humans come in contact with turtles. 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.
They are best known as small less than six inch shells nondescript turtles.
