On this page All 13 turtles Lookalikes When they are active About this list Sources AGFC: Arkansas is home to 16 species of turtle, but only two are land dwellers
This page lists 13 turtles .
AGFC gives a total of 16; the 13 here are the turtles official sources name one by one.
All 13 turtles From A to Z.
Photo: Eric Schmidt · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Macrochelys temminckii
Size Usually 15 to 26 inches of shell and 35 to 150 pounds; males can reach 29 inches and 249 pounds, females about 22 inches and 62 pounds. Missouri records over 250 pounds. How to recognize it Three prominent ridges on the upper shell Very large head with a sharp, strongly hooked beak Extra row of scutes on each side of the shell Conservation Take and possession prohibited (AGFC Code 34.09) Full Alligator Snapping Turtle guide
Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Chelydra serpentina
Size Upper shell usually 8 to 14 inches, occasionally to nearly 20; usually 10 to 35 lb, occasionally to 75 lb in the wild. How to recognize it Large head, long tail Saw-toothed scales on the long tail Small, cross-shaped lower shell
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62 records by month. Full Common Snapping Turtle guide
No confirmed photo of Map Turtle Map Turtle Graptemys geographica
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River National Park Service Photo: Curtis Meyers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized Musk Turtle (Stinkpot) Sternotherus odoratus
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River National Park Service Photo: Archer Silverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Ornate Box Turtle Terrapene ornata
Conservation Species of Greatest Conservation Need, 2025 Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan; may not be kept as a pet (AGFC Code 09.14) No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle Ouachita Map Turtle Graptemys ouachitensis
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River National Park Service Photo: Peter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Razorback Musk Turtle Sternotherus carinatus
Conservation Take prohibited (AGFC Code 34.10) Photo: ncb1221 · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River; Hot Springs National Park National Park Service Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist River Cooter Pseudemys concinna
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River National Park Service
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49 records by month. Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Smooth Softshell Apalone mutica
Where in Arkansas Buffalo National River National Park Service Photo: Peter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Spiny Softshell Apalone spinifera
Photo: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Terrapene carolina
Size Small: adult shell usually 4.5 to 6 inches; up to about 7 to 8 inches (Alabama, Virginia). How to recognize it High, domed upper shell Hinged lower shell that closes the turtle in completely Ridge (keel) down the center of the shell, more obvious in young Full Three-toed Box Turtle guide
No confirmed photo of Western Chicken Turtle Western Chicken Turtle Deirochelys reticularia
Conservation Species of Greatest Conservation Need, 2025 Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan; take prohibited (AGFC Code 34.10); Take prohibited (AGFC Code 34.10) Turtles people confuse Eastern box turtle or Ornate box turtle? The ornate box turtle usually has no ridge down the shell and has many yellow lines radiating from the center of each shell plate; it is more of a grassland species.
Alligator Snapping Turtle or Snapping Turtle? The common snapping turtle has a more rounded shell without the three prominent ridges, a saw-toothed row of scales on top of the tail, and eyes visible from above.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When turtles are active in Arkansas Records of turtles in Arkansas peak in April to July. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars ).
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
580 records of turtles in Arkansas by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records). Sources Nuisance Wildlife . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Box turtles making moves across Arkansas . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). April 15, 2020; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “Arkansas is home to 16 species of turtle, but only two are land dwellers” 2025 Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan, Chapter 2: Species of Greatest Conservation Need . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). 2025 plan; checked November 3, 2026. Code of Regulations 34.09 Taking Or Possession Of Alligator Snapping Turtles Prohibited . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). version effective 2019-04-25; checked November 3, 2026. Code of Regulations 34.10 Take Of Chicken Turtles And Razorback Musk Turtles Prohibited . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). version effective 2019-04-25; checked November 3, 2026. Code of Regulations 34.12 Take And Possession Of Aquatic Turtles For Personal Consumption Restricted . Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). version effective 2026-07-01; checked November 3, 2026. Table 1. Species Expected and Abundance by Taxonomy (Buffalo National River spreadsheet; text strings extracted) . National Park Service. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page. 
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