Loggerhead musk turtle

The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor) is a species of turtle native to the United States.

Geographic distribution

The loggerhead musk turtle can be found in the states of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Description

It gets its name from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). Adults can be 8–13 cm (3-5 inches) in carapace length. Barbels are present on the chin only, not on the throat.^[1]

Habitat

They live in clean freshwater habitats.

Subspecies

• Sternotherus minor minor (Agassiz, 1857)
• Sternotherus minor peltifer (Smith & Glass, 1947)

References

• McCoy, C.J., A.V. Bianculli and R.C. Vogt. 1978. Sternotherus minor in the Pascagoula River system, Mississippi. Herpetological Review. 9(3):109.
• Ernst, C. H.; Lovich, J.E. (2009). Turtles of the United States and Canada (2 ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University. pp. 519–525. ISBN 978-0-8018-9121-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=nNOQghYEXZMC&lpg=PA37. 

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sternotherus_minor Sternotherus minor] at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Sternotherus minor at Wikispecies