False map turtle
The false map turtle or Mississippi map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) is a species of turtle found in the United States. It is a common pet species.
Identification
Also known as a “sawback” turtle, the carapace features a row of low spines, and is serrated on the rim. The carapace is olive to brown in color with light yellowish markings with dark borders. The plastron color varies from cream to yellow and is patterned with dark lines along the seams in juveniles. The body color of the False Map Turtle is grayish brown to blackish and is marked with light brown, yellow, or whitish stripes. The eye can be light yellow, white or green and is crossed with a dark bar. Narrow hooked marks behind the eye fuse with dorsal lines on the head and neck. There are also small light colored spots below the eye and on the chin.
Distribution and status
The false map turtle lives in large streams of the Missouri and Mississippi river systems; ranging from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, through the Dakotas southward to southwestern Alabama, south and west Mississippi, through Louisiana and eastern Texas. In the Midwest, the False Map Turtle is a species of Special Interest in Ohio, and is absent from Michigan. (US distribution map; Midwest distribution map). Map turtles of all kinds are avid baskers, spending many hours during the day in the sun. When with other turtles, they also are very communal, sharing space and using each other for predator watching, increasing the odds of surviving an attack by any unwanted animal. But this does not mean that they are social reptiles, turtles are loners. In the wild they bask with one another is them tolerating it, turtles are aggressive and territorial and if at any moment will attack. Map Turtles are generally the most "community" friendly turtles.
Ecology
The false map turtle is a strong swimmer and prefers rivers and large creeks with moderate currents, containing aquatic vegetation, as well as snags or floating logs. They are also comfortable in deep and swift water. The turtles are present in oxbow lakes and sloughs, but are absent from lakes, ponds, or small streams. Basking is an important to the sawbacks, and they may even be found on steep, slippery snags.
Threats and management issues
A variety of threats face this species, including the destruction of nests by animals and insects, falling victim to gill nets, as well as being shot. False Map Turtles, much like Red-eared Sliders, have also been collected for the pet trade.
References
- Ernst. C. H., J. E. Lovich and R. W. Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, USA.