Is this a mud turtle?

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Missi

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Hubby & I were about to turn down our street on our way home from date night last night & we spotted this little guy in the road. I brought him home to observe him for a day or two. We live in Southwest, Florida if that helps with identifying him. If you're certain of the species, I'd love to hear all you know about them :)


Oops, I guess it would help if I posted the pics, huh? Sorry, I have not yet finished my coffee this a.m. LOL










It's not a Loggerhead musk turtle is it?
 

cdmay

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Nice find! Florida mud turtle, Kinosternon subrubrum steindachneri.
Really perfect looking male you found.
 

sibi

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Nice mud :p Looks so healthy from the wild. Will you return him to the wild?
 

kathyth

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Looks like some kind of Mud turtle.........
Very nice of you to save him and set him free.
:)
 

diamondbp

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Yeh definitely a male Florida musk. The plastrons are the easiest way to tell. MUDs have a bigger wider HINGED plastron and musk have a narrow FIXED plastron.


Correction I meant a Florida MUD turtle,,, my bad
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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diamondbp said:
Yeh definitely a male Florida [MUD turtle]. The plastrons are the easiest way to tell. MUDs have a bigger wider HINGED plastron and musk have a narrow FIXED plastron.

Ah-ha! So:

Mud = hinged
Musk = fixed

Great, thanks! :D
 

Missi

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Yes, we will release him. We're just not sure where to release him. We want it to be far enough away from the roads do he does not get hit by a car. A pond? A canal? If we put him back in the water by where we found him, it is right by the road but is that the right thing to do? Can someone familiar with the species please advise me?
 

diamondbp

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A shallow water system with abundant vegetation is ideal for Muds
 

Missi

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This evening we released him in the area that we found him. It, indeed, was shallow water with plenty of vegetation! He went straight for the water & when he was in it, I couldn't see him. His shell is wonderful camouflage.
 
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