albogulare vs cruentatum?

CDBJJ

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I think she looks a lot different and acts different a little different as well. Than my two cruentatum.
 

cdmay

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The size and upturned plastron seam say albogulare. Think of a smile shaped seam.
Albogulare tend to have higher domed shells and slightly more pronounced dorsal keels as well. Their faces do have some red or orange colors but not like the cruentatum that are currently in the United States.
Adult female albogulare can be huge and they are much more terrestrial than other mud turtles.

One thing to keep in mind regarding cruentatum though...in this country (the USA) the vast majority of cruentatum imported in the past few decades have come from Guatemala and thus are fairly uniform in appearance.
But red-cheek mud turtles (cruentatum) occur from mid Mexico, out the Yucatán peninsula, throughout Guatemala and southward. They are highly variable in shape, size and color. Some populations have very well defined dorsal keels and speckled faces. Not far away other populations have smoothly domed shells and striped faces.
It’s confusing but the lower plastron hinge is usually straight or flat in shape.

Some photos of her face would be helpful.
 

cdmay

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Nice animal. Hard to say from her face.
Here is a cool resource....go to inaturalist.org
Once you access that site, enter Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum in the species box and click VIEW.
You will then find a bunch of photos of wild specimens, click on VIEW OBSERVATION and the exact GPS coordinates of the animal in the photo will appear along with the date and time of the observation. Trust me, the variation is neat stuff!
 

cdmay

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Both cruentatum and albigulare are nice animals. But cruentatum is a good bit smaller, has more color (usually) and is more readily available for U.S. hobbyists.
Still, captive hatched and raised albigulare, that is known as the white-throated mud turtle btw, can be gorgeous turtles. They are tough, easy to keep and responsive.

One question: how or where did you obtain the ones you have now?
Local pet or aquarium shop? Online?
 

cdmay

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