Scientific Name: Sternotherus odoratus
Size: 2-5 inches (5.1-11.5 cm) in length
PA Status: Abundant

Habitat Type:
Marshes, swamps, canals, small ponds, lakes and rivers.

Colorations:

• The carapace color is dark olive-brown to almost black and is usually unpatterned but small black blotches may occur that sometimes form short random streaks.
• The plastron is yellow to dark brown.
• The skin of the legs and tail are dark grey to black and usually unmarked, but may have small black spots. A pale yellow strip may be present on the lateral edge of the forelegs
• The head’s background color is dark grey to black with a pair of yellow or white stripes on each side of the head that originate on the snout and diverge backwards with one occurring above the eye and one below the eye.

Characteristics:

• Very small aquatic species.
• Profile View- The carapace is high and rounded.
• Above View – The carapace is oblong.
• Three dorsal keels are present in juveniles and subadults.
• Adults have a smooth shell with a medial keel along the anterior vertebral scute.
• The plastron is small and exposes much of the underside of the legs.
• The plastral seams are extremely wide.
• The neck is long and the head seems too large for the body.
• The chin and underside of the throat have barbels.
• The legs are moderately well-developed.
• The feet have some webbing.

Juvenile coloration and characteristics:

• Similar to adults

Confused with:

• Eastern Mud Turtle

Coloration/Pattern Photos:
Adults

Range Map:

References:

• Hulse, C. and McCoy C. J. and Ellen Censky ,1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. 196-200pp.
• Ernst, Carl H. and Lovich, Jeffrey E., and Barbour, Roger W. ,1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 139-149pp.

Photo Credits:

• Bob Hamilton
• Wayne Fidler
• Billy Brown
• Rex Everett