Stripe-neckedXMuskXTurtle2 Young striped necked musk turtles. Photo by Jeffery Beane
Stripe-neckedXMuskXTurtle3 Striped necked musk turtle. Photo by Jeffery Beane.
Fact File
Scientific Name: Sternotherus minor peltifer
Classification: Reptilia, Order Testudines, Family Kinosternidae
Conservation Status:
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need-Tier 4a on the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan
Size: Up to 5.25 inches in length
Identifying Characteristics
This is a small aquatic turtle reaching a maximum carapace (upper shell) length of about 5 inches. The carapace is strongly arched, brown to olive brown, and may have small, nondistinct black spots. The skin is brown to gray-brown with gray to yellow mottling on legs. It has a large head with black speckling on the top and a pair of barbels on the chin. The throat has alternating yellowish and black to dark brown stripes. The juvenile is similar to the adult in pattern but has a single pronounced keel on the carapace. This turtle is a bottom walker and seldom basks. It can spend long periods submerged in water due to its ability to absorb oxygen from the water through the lining of the mouth and throat.
Habitat
Occurs in the Clinch, Holston and Powell watersheds in Lee, Scott, Russell, Washington and Smyth counties. A soft sediment bottom is characteristic of their habitat and they are usually found around submerged logs and fallen trees
Distribution:
In Virginia, this species is known only from the Clinch, Holston, and Powell Rivers and their tributaries in Lee and Scott Counties. This is a completely aquatic turtle that is restricted to rivers and their tributaries. This turtle occurs commonly around snags and fallen trees and prefers a soft substrate. Overwintering occurs under banks and in muskrat burrows.
Last updated: January 22, 2024
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