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River cooter

Pseudemys concinna · Turtles · Reptiles

River cooter (Pseudemys concinna): Shell up to about 43.7 cm, flattened, elongated and oval with light and dark brown markings plus green, yellow, brown and black patterns. Hatchlings 27-39 mm and bright green with light markings; markings darken with age. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Pseudemys concinna
Family
Emydidae
In North America
Native
Range
Eastern and central United States: northern Ohio south to northern Florida, eastern Virginia west to eastern Texas, with disjunct populations in the New River (VA/WV) and Tennessee River. Introduced in Europe (Spain) through the pet trade. Not native to Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Shell up to about 43.7 cm, flattened, elongated and oval with light and dark brown markings plus green, yellow, brown and black patterns. [1][2]

Hatchlings 27-39 mm and bright green with light markings; markings darken with age. [1][2]

Females larger (mean carapace about 287 mm) than males (about 223 mm); males have flatter shells and elongated foreclaws. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Permanent rivers and lakes with current, aquatic vegetation, basking sites and rocky bottoms; occasionally ponds, springs, swamps and brackish tidal marshes. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Active about April-October across most of the range; hibernates in mud at the bottom of rivers, lakes and ponds in colder areas. [1][2]

Mostly herbivorous, eating aquatic vegetation, algae and pondweeds; juveniles take more crayfish and animal prey. [1][2]

Basks by day and nests on land within about 30 m of water; males court females by stroking their faces with long claws. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

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

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.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Eastern and central United States: northern Ohio south to northern Florida, eastern Virginia west to eastern Texas, with disjunct populations in the New River (VA/WV) and Tennessee River. Introduced in Europe (Spain) through the pet trade. Not native to Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web