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Iowa Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. All 14 turtles
  2. When they are active
  3. How to report
  4. About this list
  5. Sources

This page lists 14 turtles: all from Iowa DNR's List of Iowa Reptiles Evaluated by the IWAP. Iowa DNR gives a total of 13; the 14 here are the turtles official sources name one by one.

All 14 turtles

From A to Z.

No confirmed photo of Blanding's Turtle

Blanding's Turtle

Emydoidea blandingii

Conservation
state threatened; Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Eastern Musk Turtle
Photo: Curtis Meyers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern Musk Turtle

Sternotherus odoratus

Conservation
state threatened; Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
No confirmed photo of False Map Turtle

False Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica

Conservation
state special concern (IWAP code I-SC; not protected by the T&E law); Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
No confirmed photo of Northern Map Turtle

Northern Map Turtle

Graptemys geographica

Conservation
state special concern (IWAP code I-SC; not protected by the T&E law); Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Ornate Box Turtle
Photo: Archer Silverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Ornate Box Turtle

Terrapene ornata

Conservation
state threatened; Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle

Ouachita Map Turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis

Conservation
state special concern (IWAP code I-SC; not protected by the T&E law); Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
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
87 records by month.

Full Painted Turtle guide

Smooth Softshell
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Smooth Softshell

Apalone mutica

Conservation
state special concern (IWAP code I-SC; not protected by the T&E law); Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Three-toed Box Turtle
Photo: Brian Dickerson · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Three-toed Box Turtle

Terrapene triunguis

Wood Turtle
Photo: Michael Ellis · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Wood Turtle

Glyptemys insculpta

Size
14-20 cm (5.5-8 in)
How to recognize it
  • Lower shell has no hinge
  • Combination of brown shell, orange front limbs and a lower shell solidly fused to the upper shell
  • Males: concave lower shell, long thick tail, broader head
Conservation
state endangered; Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)

Full Wood Turtle guide

Yellow Mud Turtle
Photo: Nick Block · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Yellow Mud Turtle

Kinosternon flavescens

Conservation
state endangered; Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)

When turtles are active in Iowa

Records of turtles in Iowa peak in May to July. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars).

144 records of turtles in Iowa by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

How to report

Aquatic invasive species: report suspected sightings to the nearest Iowa DNR fisheries station or by email (address on the DNR AIS page, [email protected] as decoded from the page link). Elk sightings: local conservation officer or wildlife field staff. Nuisance wildlife in a home: a DNR-licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator. Iowa DNR

About this list

The species list comes from List of Iowa Reptiles Evaluated by the IWAP (Iowa Wildlife Action Plan 2025, Appendix 4) (Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), 2025 IWAP; count from Iowa DNR 2015).

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

Sources

  1. Mission, Vision & Leadership. Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR). sitemap lastmod 2024-11-20; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Iowa Wildlife Action Plan (2025 revision) - All Appendices (Appendix 3 amphibians, 4 reptiles, 5-6 birds, 7 mammals, 11 bumble bees, 16 T&E). Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR). Plan submitted to USFWS December 31, 2025 and approved; checked November 3, 2026.
  3. Aquatic Invasive Species. Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR). sitemap lastmod 2026-02-23; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Learn to identify aquatic invasive species and report any suspected sightings to the nearest DNR fisheries station.”
  4. 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.