On this page Which turtles can hurt you All 5 turtles If you are bitten or stung About this list Sources North Dakota Game and Fish Department: North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.
This page lists 5 turtles : all from North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, with the North Dakota Herp Atlas species pages.
Which turtles can hurt you Official sources single out these turtles in North Dakota, in their own words:
All 5 turtles From A to Z. Do not handle them.
No confirmed photo of False Map Turtle False Map Turtle Graptemys pseudogeographica
Where in North Dakota False map turtles are found in the Missouri River System south of Garrison Dam. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN) Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons 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 Where in North Dakota Painted turtles are the most widespread turtles in the United States and are found throughout North Dakota. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Full Painted Turtle (western) guide
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Smooth Softshell (midland) Apalone mutica
Where in North Dakota Smooth softshell turtles, also known as leatherbacks, are found in the Missouri River System south of Bismarck. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN) Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Chelydra serpentina
Danger to people “A small branch or finger can easily be crushed by an adult’s jaw.” North Dakota Game and Fish Department 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 Where in North Dakota Snapping turtles are common throughout North Dakota. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) Full Snapping Turtle guide
Photo: Peter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Spiny Softshell (eastern) Apalone spinifera
Where in North Dakota Spiny softshell turtles are found in the Missouri River System south of Garrison Dam. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN) 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.
Official advice from North Dakota Game and Fish Department:
Sources Contact Us . North Dakota Game and Fish Department. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota (by Sandra Johnson) . North Dakota Game and Fish Department. archived copy, captured July 14, 2024; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (3) “North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.” “A small branch or finger can easily be crushed by an adult’s jaw.” “Never carry a snapping turtle by its tail.” 
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