Tennessee Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures

Habitat: Usually occurs in large and deep bodies of water such as lakes, large rivers, and deep sloughs; often among submerged logs or root snags. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Prefers a specialized combination of open, shallow, wet areas with soft and muddy bottoms. Primarily in spaghnum bogs, wetlands, swamps, springs, and wet meadows; can occur up to 4000 feet. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: This familiar, terrestrial turtle occurs across the entire state. Two subspecies are recognized in Tennessee: Eastern Box Turtle (T. c. carolina) and Three-toed Box Turtle (T. c. triunguis).

Habitat: Prefers moist, open forests often near water and floodplains. Occasionally found in pastures or burrowing beneath logs. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: This semi-aquatic turtle occurs across Tennessee, except for the upper Cumberland and Tennessee River drainages. Only one subspecies, Eastern Mud Turtle (K. s. subrubrum), is found in Tennessee; however the other 2 subspecies, Florida (K. s. steindachneri) and Mississippi Mud Turtle (K. s.hippocrepis), may hybridize with Eastern Mud Turtle along Mississippi River.

Habitat: Found in calm, shallow waters such as wetlands, ponds, ditches, and backwaters of rivers and streams. Prefers water with dense aquatic vegetation. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Prefers permanent water bodies with available shallow water and plentiful aquatic vegetation including rivers, streams, sloughs, and ditches. Also, found in temporary water pools, wetlands, and small ponds. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Two subspecies are recognized in TN: Eastern Painted Turtle (C. p. picta) and Midland Painted Turtle (C. p. marginata). Eastern Painted occurs in the Blue Ridge Mountains, while Midland Painted occurs in the Tennessee River drainages.

Habitat: Prefers shallow bodies of water with soft, muddy bottoms and plentiful aquatic vegetation; examples include lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, ditches, oxbows, and reservoirs. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Two subspecies are recognized in TN: Mississippi Map Turtle (G. p. kohnii) and False Map Turtle (G. p. pseudogeographica). False Map occurs in the Mississippi River in the northwestern corner of the state, while Mississippi Map Turtle occurs in the western section of the Tennessee River and the entire stretch of the Mississippi River in TN.

Habitat: Found in large rivers with slow currents and backwaters; also in lakes, ponds, sloughs, and oxbows. Prefers water with aquatic vegetation and numerous places to bask. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Prefers larger bodies of water with aquatic vegetation such as lakes, rivers, sloughs, and large ponds. Commonly seen basking on fallen trees or logs. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Found in the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers. One subspecies, Ouachita Map Turtle (G. o. ouachitensis), occurs in TN; formerly classified as a subspecies of the False Map Turtle (G. pseudogeographica pseudogeographica).

Habitat: Prefers large rivers and lakes with aquatic vegetation and plenty of basking sites. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Prefers still waters such as ponds and lakes, but will also use slow-moving rivers, sloughs, and oxbow lakes. Aquatic vegetation, muddy bottoms, and abundant basking sites are important too. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Prefers large rivers and lakes, but frequently uses ponds, floodplain river pools, and wetlands. River Cooters are usually associated with water that has abundant aquatic vegetation and rocky bottoms. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Occurs in the northern parts of the state in the Tennessee and Cumberland River drainages, and the Reelfoot Lake area of the Mississippi River drainage. One subspecies, Midland Smooth Softshell (A. m. mutica), occurs in TN.

Habitat: Prefers large rivers with sandy or muddy bottoms; occasionally lakes. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Typically found in any bodies of water including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, ponds, and vernal pools; but can be found on land as well. Snapping Turtles prefer muddy waters, or water with aquatic vegetation, for concealment purposes. Although not a habitat they use but for moving from one place to another, they are often seen crossing roads where they are frequently run over by cars. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Southern Painted Turtle was a subspecies of the Painted Turtle until recent genetic analysis indicated it was a distinct species. It is thought that they occur mostly in the western Tennessee coastal plain based upon the preliminary morphological characteristics used in identification.

Habitat: Prefers shallow bodies of water with soft, muddy bottoms and plentiful aquatic vegetation; examples include lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, ditches, oxbows, and reservoirs. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Habitat: Found in large rivers and streams mostly, but also lakes, ponds, and marshes. Prefers clear, sandy or muddy bottomed rivers with a little vegetation. Basks on fallen trees, sandbars, or rock ledges. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

Range: Found east of the Tennessee River (western middle Tennessee portion) with the exception of the Cumberland River drainage. The Stripe-necked Musk Turtle (S. m. peltifer) is the only subspecies of Loggerhead Musk Turtle that occurs in Tennessee.

Habitat: Occurs in creeks, springs, ponds, rivers, and wetlands. Commonly found around snags and fallen trees over a soft substrate. (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)