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Indiana Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. Which turtles can hurt you
  2. All 16 turtles
  3. Lookalikes
  4. When they are active
  5. If you are bitten or stung
  6. How to report
  7. About this list
  8. Sources

This page lists 16 turtles: all from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife's Reptiles of Indiana List.

Which turtles can hurt you

Official sources single out these turtles in Indiana, in their own words:

All 16 turtles

From A to Z. Do not handle them.

Alligator Snapping Turtle
Photo: Eric Schmidt · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Macrochelys temminckii

Danger to people
“While these turtles are thought to be less aggressive than the common snapping turtle, the powerful bite of an alligator snapping turtle can be both painful and damaging to humans.” Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife
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
Where in Indiana
Records for extreme southwest Indiana date back to the1800's, but very few have been taken in the past decades. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife
Conservation
Indiana state endangered

Full Alligator Snapping Turtle guide

No confirmed photo of Blanding's Turtle

Blanding's Turtle

Emydoidea blandingii

Conservation
Indiana state endangered
Eastern Box Turtle
Photo: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Box Turtle

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
Conservation
Indiana special protection; Indiana species of special concern
231 records by month.
What the sources say

Habitat: The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) is a species of hinge-shelled turtle that lives on forested land in Indiana. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)

Full Eastern Box Turtle guide

Eastern Mud Turtle
Photo: Jim Moore (Maryland) · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Mud Turtle

Kinosternon subrubrum

Conservation
Indiana state endangered
No confirmed photo of False Map Turtle

False Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica

Conservation
Indiana species of special concern
No confirmed photo of Northern Map Turtle

Northern Map Turtle

Graptemys geographica

Ornate Box Turtle
Photo: Archer Silverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Ornate Box Turtle

Terrapene ornata

Conservation
Indiana state endangered
No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle

Ouachita Map Turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis

Painted Turtle
Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta

Size
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
146 records by month.

Full Painted Turtle guide

River Cooter
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

River Cooter

Pseudemys concinna

Conservation
Indiana state endangered
Smooth Softshell Turtle
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Apalone mutica

Spotted Turtle
Photo: Nick Block · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Spotted Turtle

Clemmys guttata

Conservation
Indiana state endangered

Turtles people confuse

Snapping Turtle or Alligator Snapping Turtle?

Snapping Turtle
Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Snapping Turtle Not stated

Alligator Snapping Turtle
Photo: Eric Schmidt · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Alligator Snapping Turtle Not stated

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.

Eastern box turtle or Ornate box turtle?

Eastern box turtle
Photo: Summit Metro Parks · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern box turtle Not stated

Ornate box turtle
Photo: Archer Silverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Ornate box turtle Not stated

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 Indiana

Records of turtles in Indiana peak in April to June. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars).

691 records of turtles in Indiana by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

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.

How to report

Invasive species: report online via EDDMapS or the GLEDN app; terrestrial invasives 1-866-NO-EXOTIC (1-866-663-9684), [email protected]; aquatic invasives [email protected]. Nuisance wildlife: DNR does not remove wildlife; hire a licensed wildlife control operator; DNR Customer Service 317-232-4200 or [email protected]. Mammal sightings (armadillo, mountain lion, etc.): DNR Report a Mammal form. Gecko / wall lizard sightings: [email protected]. Indiana Department of Natural Resources

About this list

The species list comes from Reptiles of Indiana List (Indiana DNR) (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife, Revised September 2021).

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

Sources

  1. Reptiles of Indiana List. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. page states "Revised September 2021"; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Alligator Snapping Turtle. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “While these turtles are thought to be less aggressive than the common snapping turtle, the powerful bite of an alligator snapping turtle can be both painful and damaging to humans.”
  3. Eastern Box Turtle. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
  4. Invasive Species. Indiana Department of Natural Resources. dateModified 2026-09-08; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Discuss terrestrial invasives 1-866 NO EXOTIC (1-866-663-9684) [email protected] Discuss aquatic invasives 317-233-0755 [email protected]”
  5. 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.