Mississippi Map Turtle
Common Name: Mississippi Map Turtle
Scientific Name: Graptemys pseudogeographica
Physical Description: The Mississippi Map Turtle is named for the lines that curve on its shell and body which are like the lines on a topographic map! Their body is black or gray, with a brown shell, and claws on each toe. Males are typically smaller than females, a normal trait in turtles, with males 3.5 – 5 inches in length and females 6-10 inches in length1.
Habitat: They live in wetlands where they move through ponds and dense grass.
Range: They live in the south-central USA in the Mississippi River Basin.
Diet: They are omnivores who will eat insects, small vertebrates, vegetation.
Life Span: They live upwards of 30 years.
Social Structure: Mississippi Map Turtles are solitary creatures outside of the breeding season.
Status: Least Concern2
Other: The Mississippi in their name is not for the state, but rather for the Mississippi basin that they call home.
1 https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlife/field-guide/reptiles/mississippi-map-turtle#:~:text=Size,are%203%20%C2%BD%20%2D%205%20inches.
2 https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1241
3 https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165600/97424024
Scientific Name: Graptemys pseudogeographica
Physical Description: The Mississippi Map Turtle is named for the lines that curve on its shell and body which are like the lines on a topographic map! Their body is black or gray, with a brown shell, and claws on each toe. Males are typically smaller than females, a normal trait in turtles, with males 3.5 – 5 inches in length and females 6-10 inches in length1.
Habitat: They live in wetlands where they move through ponds and dense grass.
Range: They live in the south-central USA in the Mississippi River Basin.
Diet: They are omnivores who will eat insects, small vertebrates, vegetation.
Life Span: They live upwards of 30 years.
Social Structure: Mississippi Map Turtles are solitary creatures outside of the breeding season.
Status: Least Concern2
Other: The Mississippi in their name is not for the state, but rather for the Mississippi basin that they call home.
1 https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlife/field-guide/reptiles/mississippi-map-turtle#:~:text=Size,are%203%20%C2%BD%20%2D%205%20inches.
2 https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1241
3 https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/165600/97424024
