Please Help Me Identify These
- Thread starter EndureTheSeasons
- Start date
Whatever they are, they're mighty purdy!!! Let's see if @Markw84 can offer any insight. . . but it would help if we could see the head, neck and underside (plastron).
Looks like a Rio Grande scooter to me.
"Cooter" not "scooter". Dang spell check. lol
EndureTheSeasons
New Member
Sorry, I can't take new photos because I'm not in my hometown. Currently, I only have these two photos showing the turtle's head.
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EndureTheSeasons
New Member
Don't worry about these details, I understand. Thank you very much for your reply, but as far as I know, it's not.
EndureTheSeasons
New Member
I had my family help me take some new photos. You can take a look.
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DoubleD1996!
Well-Known Member
I definitely see some cooter for sure.
Certainly does looks mostly like a Pseudemys gorzugi - Rio Grande Cooter. No other turtle I know of has those rings of 5 stacked concentric rings on the carapace like that. My guess would be a little (perhaps 1/8th or less) Pseudemys rubriventris - Northern Red-bellied Cooter mixed in. That tends to give a bit of more separation in the patterns with the rubriventris, plus the platron seems to lean towards that mix.
Babies tend to have a much more striking pattern like you see with yours.
Babies tend to have a much more striking pattern like you see with yours.
EndureTheSeasons
New Member
I have previously kept Rio Grande cooters, hybrids of Rio Grande cooters and nelsoni, as well as some eastern river cooters. Additionally, I have raised many turtles with similar patterns to those in the question and have researched a lot of related information and patterns.
I found that the two turtles in the question do not match the characteristics of any specific species. However, if they are hybrids, their characteristics do match.
After comparison, it can be confirmed that they are not related to Rio Grande cooters. They are more likely related to rubriventris, as you mentioned, but I am not certain. Additionally, some individuals with similar patterns have different plastron patterns and colors. Having seen the characteristics of my friend's nelsoni and eastern river cooter hybrids, I am quite certain that some of these individuals are bred from nelsoni. However, I am not sure about the other parent species.
Because these species are not native to our area, we do not know much about them. As I keep them, I hope to understand them more accurately and learn about them correctly, at least to know their origin and lineage. I think that you, from their native area, might be able to provide some help, allowing me to correctly identify them.
Thank you very much for your response. Although it may not provide a definite answer, it at least narrows down the possibilities. I hope that a definite answer might be found in the future.
