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Florida Wildlife; vol. 12, no. 4. September, 1958. Illustration by Wallace Hughes.

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Day 252#: Scorpion Mud Turtle

Today's animal of the day is the Scorpion Mud Turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides)!

Photo credit: Jose Gabriel Julio Guzman

This species of freshwater turtle can be found in the rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, and wetlands of Mexico as well as in parts of Central and South America. They range in size from 3.6 to 10.6 inches long, with domed, oval-shaped shells. There are three subspecies of scorpion mud turtles, but for today I'm only going to focus on the nononate subspecies: Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides. Don't worry, I plan on eventually giving the other two subspecies (the white-throated and red-cheeked mud turtles) their own separate entries. Because it is the nominate subspecies, Kinosternon scorpioides scorpiodes is usually just referred to as the "scorpion mud turtle" and doesn't have a distinct common name as the other two subspecies do. Their name comes from their tails, which are much longer and spikier compared to those of other turtles, especially those of the males. Sadly, I couldn't find any pictures of them with their tails out.

Photo credit: Jose Gabriel Julio Guzman

These are highly aquatic turtles that are capable of adapting to a wide variety of different bodies of water. Like the other species of mud turtle, they spend most of their time burrowed deep within the mud in order to hide from predators or to keep cool when it gets too hot out. Their diet consists mostly of aquatic invertebrates, such as insects, crabs, shrimp, snails, spiders, and worms. However, they're known to be rather gluttonous, and they've also been known to eat carrion and bird eggs, as well as various types of plants like algae, flowers, fruit, nuts, and numerous other types of aquatic vegetation. This specific subspecies is also known to become cannibalistic in captivity and will bite off the limbs of their tank mates if they're not being fed properly.