The Mud Turtle's Role in the Ecosystem

Mud turtles are semi-terrestrial reptiles that prefer damp dwellings. They are omnivores, meaning they eat vegetation and meat. This meat comes in the form of insects, tadpoles and fish. Male mud turtles can grow up to 5 inches in length and are larger than their female counterparts. They hibernate in winter and go into their mating season in spring. Females will lay two to six eggs. Depending on their location, mud turtles can have as many as three clutches during the year. Eastern mud turtles range from New York through to Florida and Texas.

  1. Eastern Mud Turtle Facts

    • The Eastern mud turtle has a patternless shell that can range from olive to almost black in color. The shell is comprised of 11 plates while most turtles have 12. Its head and neck are brown with a variety of lighter-colored stripes. This turtle feeds on insects, mollusks, crustaceans and carrion. Females become sexually mature at the age of five to eight years, males at ages between four and seven years. Females lay their clutches in well-drained soil, often under some terrestrial cover, such as a muskrat or beaver lodge. This species ranges from Long Island to southern Florida, throughout the Gulf states and north to Tennessee and Kentucky.

    Eastern Mud Turtle Behavior

    • The Eastern mud turtle prefers shallow water with plenty of vegetation. The water can be fresh or brackish and can come in the form of a pond, marsh or wet ditch. If this home dries up during the course of the year, the mud turtle may wander to another pond or it can burrow into the mud and enter a state of stupor for the rest of the summer. While most of its diet comes from aquatic sources mud turtles can wander far from the water when they forage on the land during midsummer. They burrrow 1 foot to 3 feet into mud, sand or dry leaves when it comes time to hibernate. Mud turtles in New York hibernate from September to April. This period is shorter in warmer climates.

    Eastern Mud Turtle Status

    • The Department of Environmental Conservation reports that the Eastern mud turtle is endangered in New York. Many are killed when they wander across roads searching for nest sites or water. Their populations have been impacted by wetland drainage that decreases suitable habitat. Land development and the building of roads also have a negative effect on the mud turtle. Although illegal, the pet trade in mud turtles reduces the number of available adults needed for sustaining populations. The Department of Environmental Conservation recommends that the public should be educated on the illegal pet trade. They also suggest that barriers that hinder turtle migration should be eliminated and that "Turtle Crossing" signs be put into place.

    Sonoyta Mud Turtles

    • These turtles live at the bottom of pools along the Rio Sonoyta valley and the Quitobaquito Pond in the Arizona Sonora Desert. They eat algae, insects, fish and frogs. They can live up to 40 years and mature at around the age of five. Their habitat is threatened by groundwater withdrawal that could dry up the river. Other threats come in the form of introduced species, pesticide and the human community. All these factors have made the Sonoyta mud turtle a candidate for the Endangered Species List. A group including the State of Arizona and the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into ways of addressing these threats to the ecosystem.