Flesh may be poisonous at times (IDNR). “The flesh of eastern box turtles may be poisonous at times because their tissues store toxins of poisonous mushrooms that the turtle may eat.” IDNR
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
Habitat: Chiefly riverine, but also oxbow lakes, cypress swamps, and canals. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Quiet waters in marshes, prairie wetlands, wet sedge meadows, and shallow, vegetated portions of lakes. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Shallow stagnant or slow-moving temporary aquatic habitats: flatwoods, backwaters, oxbows, cypress swamps. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Mud-bottomed habitats preferred (lakes, ponds, swamps, and slow-moving streams and rivers). (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
No confirmed photo of False Map Turtle
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
What the sources say
Habitat: Rivers and backwaters with mud bottoms and abundant basking sites. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
No confirmed photo of Northern Map Turtle
Northern Map Turtle
Graptemys geographica
What the sources say
Habitat: Slow-moving stretches and backwaters of rivers as well as large lakes. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Sand prairies of central and northern Illinois, Southern Tillplain prairies (clay soil outlier prairies) and open fields in former prairie. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle
Ouachita Map Turtle
Graptemys ouachitensis
What the sources say
Habitat: Rivers with sand or gravel bottoms. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Small: adult shell usually 4 to 7 inches, up to about 10 inches; females are larger than males.
How to recognize it
Smooth, fairly flat shell with no keel and a smooth (not saw-toothed) rear edge
Red markings on the marginal shell plates
Yellow spot behind each eye and yellow stripes on the chin
JFMAMJJASOND
306 records by month.What the sources say
Habitat: Frequents most aquatic habitats but most common in shallow, quiet, weedy parts of lakes, ponds, marshes, and river backwaters. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Most permanent bodies of water. Common in mud-bottomed sites rich in vegetation and basking structures. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Backwaters and oxbow lakes of large rivers and reservoirs. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Rivers and large streams having sand substrate, bars, and banks. Unusual in lakes. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
“The animal is very aggressive out of water and will attempt to bite.” IDNR
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
JFMAMJJASOND
172 records by month.What the sources say
Habitat: Almost any body of water. Shallow, mud-bottomed backwaters and ponds with lush aquatic vegetation are especially favorable. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Rivers, backwaters, lakes, and ponds. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Shallow wetlands including sedge meadows adjoining cattail marshes, and wet dolomite prairies. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Habitat: Temporary to permanent ponds and backwaters of rivers in sand prairies and deep sand soils. (Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Tennessee (TWRA): the alligator snapping turtle has a longer snout with a hooked beak, extra marginal scutes (shell-edge plates) and more conspicuous ridges on the shell. Missouri (MDC): its upper shell has 3 prominent ridges, one along the center line and one on either side, and its large head ends in a sharp, strongly hooked beak. Texas (TPWD): the common snapping turtle has an oval-shaped head and a comparatively smooth, rounded shell; the alligator snapper has three distinct ridges, a triangular head and a fleshy lure in its mouth. Caution: young common snapping turtles also have three keels on the shell (MDC, NCWRC, CT DEEP), so ridges alone do not separate small turtles.
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.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When turtles are active in Illinois
Records of turtles in Illinois peak in April to July. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
992 records of turtles in Illinois by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
Turtles nest from mid-May to early July (often seen crossing roads in spring). IDNR
If you are bitten or stung
Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
.jpg){kind=link}
,_Oberseite.jpg){kind=link}