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Kentucky Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. All 15 turtles
  2. Lookalikes
  3. When they are active
  4. About this list
  5. Sources

KDFWR: At present, 56 species of reptiles are known to occur in Kentucky (10 lizards, 32 snakes, and 14 turtles).

This page lists 15 turtles: all from KDFWR's Reptiles of Kentucky: Species List, TURTLES. KDFWR gives a total of 14; the 15 here are the turtles official sources name one by one.

All 15 turtles

From A to Z.

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

Alligator Snapping Turtle

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
Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Bluegrass, Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S1
What the sources say

Habitat: Sloughs, slow-moving streams and rivers, large rivers, backwaters, reservoirs - may ascend into small streams. (KDFWR)

Full Alligator Snapping Turtle guide

No confirmed photo of Common Map Turtle

Common Map Turtle

Graptemys geographica

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
262 records by month.

Full Eastern Box Turtle guide

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

Eastern Mud Turtle

Kinosternon subrubrum

Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Bluegrass, Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S3
What the sources say

Habitat: Occurs mostly in sloughs, ditches, ponds, along sluggish streams, and in open and forested wetlands and in nearby mesic forests. (KDFWR)

No confirmed photo of False Map Turtle

False Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica

Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S3S4
What the sources say

Habitat: Found mainly in embayments and backwater areas. (KDFWR)

Mississippi Map Turtle
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Mississippi Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii

Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need; priority group: High; state rank S3S4
What the sources say

Habitat: Found in embayments and backwater areas. (KDFWR)

No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle

Ouachita Map Turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis

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

Smooth Softshell

Apalone mutica mutica

Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Bluegrass, Knobs, Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S3
Southern Painted Turtle
Photo: Laura Mae · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Southern Painted Turtle

Chrysemys dorsalis

Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S2
What the sources say

Habitat: Occupies bayous, sloughs, sluggish streams, and large ponds. (KDFWR)

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.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When turtles are active in Kentucky

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

501 records of turtles in Kentucky by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

About this list

The species list comes from Reptiles of Kentucky: Species List, TURTLES (KDFWR) (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), undated web page; Internet Archive capture 2026-10-14).

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

Sources

  1. Snakes (Snakes of Kentucky). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). archived copy, captured August 27, 2025; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Reptiles of Kentucky. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). archived copy, captured October 14, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “At present, 56 species of reptiles are known to occur in Kentucky (10 lizards, 32 snakes, and 14 turtles).”
  3. 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.