How to identify it
Small turtle, carapace about 10-12 cm; high, triangular, domed shell with a prominent medial keel; scutes light brown to orange with dark streaks that fade with age. [1][2]
Yellowish plastron that is reduced and weakly hinged, with ten rather than eleven scutes (no gular scute). [1][2]
Skin gray to pink to light brown with small dark spots; slightly hooked jaws with dark streaks, pair of chin barbels and a tubular snout. [1][2]
Males have longer, thicker tails and rough scale patches on the thighs. [1][2]
Where it lives
Medium to large flowing streams and rivers, also swamps and lakes, with soft or sandy/rocky bottoms, aquatic vegetation and basking deadwood. [1][2]
How it behaves
Diurnal, active mornings and late afternoons; spends more time basking high on deadwood than other musk turtles. [1][2]
Limited legal take
Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.
Where legal take is listed
- Louisiana — reptile take · Recreational Reptile and Amphibian Collecting Regulations
- Mississippi — reptile take · Title 40 Part 5 Rule 2.3 Regulations Regarding Non-Game Wildlife in Need of Management (MDWFP PDF; file dated 2024-04)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
South-central United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas (Brazos River in Texas to the Pascagoula River in Mississippi); not in Canada.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology