States Wildlife
Menu

Louisiana Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. All 28 turtles
  2. Lookalikes
  3. When they are active
  4. About this list
  5. Sources

This page lists 28 turtles: 27 from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries's Turtles of Louisiana and 1 named in other official sources. 1 is nonnative.

All 28 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
Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S2 (imperiled) (2025 SWAP Table)

Full Alligator Snapping Turtle guide

Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Photo: cello caruso-turiello · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank SNA; federally endangered (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Chicken Turtle

Chicken Turtle

Deirochelys reticularia

Eastern Musk Turtle
Photo: Curtis Meyers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern Musk Turtle

Sternotherus odoratus

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S4 (apparently secure) (2025 SWAP Table)
49 records by month.
Eastern River Cooter
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern River Cooter

Pseudemys concinna concinna

Gopher Tortoise
Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Gopher Tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus

Size
Averages 9 to 11 inches long when grown; up to 15 inches.
How to recognize it
  • Stumpy, elephant-like hind feet and flat, shovel-like front legs covered in thick scales
  • Domed, oblong shell with no keel
  • Burrow entrance is half-moon shaped with a fan of bare sand (apron) in front
Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally threatened (2025 SWAP Table)

Full Gopher Tortoise guide

No confirmed photo of Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle

Chelonia mydas

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally threatened (2025 SWAP Table)
Gulf Coast Box Turtle
Photo: Robert Webster · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Gulf Coast Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina major

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S3 (vulnerable) (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Lepidochelys kempii

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally endangered (2025 SWAP Table)
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Photo: Rabon David, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

Size
Adults 5 to 6 feet long, 750 to 1,000 pounds (NOAA). Texas Parks and Wildlife cites weights up to 1,300 lb and shells up to 8 feet.
How to recognize it
  • The only sea turtle that lacks scales and a hard shell.
  • Front flippers proportionally longer than in other sea turtles; rear flippers paddle-shaped.
  • Usually a pink spot on top of the head that can identify individuals.
Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank SNA; federally endangered (2025 SWAP Table)

Full Leatherback Sea Turtle guide

Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Photo: Kristiina Hurme · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Caretta caretta

Size
Adults 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and 200 to 350 pounds (NOAA). NCWRC gives 31 to 45 inches shell length and 170 to 350 pounds; SCDNR says adults can weigh as much as 300 pounds and reach up to four feet in shell length.
How to recognize it
  • Very large head with powerful jaws.
  • Slightly heart-shaped top shell.
  • Two pairs of scales (prefrontal scutes) between the eyes above the nostrils; two claws on each flipper.
Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally threatened (2025 SWAP Table)

Full Loggerhead Sea Turtle guide

Mississippi Diamond-Backed Terrapin
Photo: Jody Shugart · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Mississippi Diamond-Backed Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin pileata

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S3 (vulnerable) (2025 SWAP Table)
Mississippi Map Turtle
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Mississippi Map Turtle

Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii

Mississippi Mud Turtle
Photo: Peter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mississippi Mud Turtle

Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S4 (apparently secure) (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Ouachita Map Turtle

Ouachita Map Turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S3 (vulnerable) (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Pearl River Map Turtle

Pearl River Map Turtle

Graptemys pearlensis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally threatened (2025 SWAP Table)
Plains Box Turtle
Photo: Jacob Friend · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Plains Box Turtle

Terrapene ornata ornata

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank SH (possibly extirpated) (2025 SWAP Table)
Razor-Backed Musk Turtle
Photo: Peter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Razor-Backed Musk Turtle

Sternotherus carinatus

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S4 (apparently secure) (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Ringed Map Turtle

Ringed Map Turtle

Graptemys oculifera

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled); federally threatened (2025 SWAP Table)
No confirmed photo of Sabine Map Turtle

Sabine Map Turtle

Graptemys sabinensis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S3 (vulnerable) (2025 SWAP Table)
Smooth Softshell
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Smooth Softshell

Apalone mutica

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

Snapping Turtle

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
60 records by month.

Full Snapping Turtle guide

Southern Painted Turtle
Photo: Laura Mae · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Southern Painted Turtle

Chrysemys dorsalis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S3 (vulnerable) (2025 SWAP Table)
Stripe-Necked Musk Turtle
Photo: Josiah Londerée · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Stripe-Necked Musk Turtle

Sternotherus minor peltifer

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S1 (critically imperiled) (2025 SWAP Table)
Three-Toed Box Turtle
Photo: Brian Dickerson · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Three-Toed Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina triunguis

Conservation
Louisiana SGCN, state rank S4 (apparently secure) (2025 SWAP Table)

Turtles people confuse

Loggerhead sea turtle or Leatherback sea turtle?

Loggerhead sea turtle
Photo: Kristiina Hurme · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Loggerhead sea turtle Not stated

Leatherback sea turtle
Photo: Rabon David, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Leatherback sea turtle Not stated

Adult leatherbacks differ from all other sea turtles, including the loggerhead, in their large size, spindle-shaped body and leathery shell without scales.

Alligator Snapping Turtle or Snapping Turtle?

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

Alligator Snapping Turtle Not stated

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

Snapping Turtle Not stated

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 Louisiana

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

1,438 records of turtles in Louisiana by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

About this list

The species list comes from Turtles of Louisiana (LDWF poster, 2022) (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2022). 1 more entry comes from other official sources named on each card.

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

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Louisiana.

Sources

  1. About Us. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Turtles of Louisiana (17x22 poster). Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  3. 2025 Louisiana State Wildlife Action Plan. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. 2025 plan; checked November 3, 2026.
  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.