Species: Common Map Turtle

Graptemys geographica

I am amazed at the diversity of turtle species in Indiana. In just three weeks, I've seen over seven species from softshell turtles, snappers, and musk turtles to painted turtles, sliders, and map turtles. In particular, a small common map turtle (now called the northern map turtle more regularly) caught my eye.

I've seen map turtles before. In fact, I own a pet Mississippi map turtle. And I've seen them in the wild before as well. When I was in Kentucky canoeing about four or five years ago I spotted a few of them basking on the logs of a river near Mammoth Cave National Park. I didn't have my camera with me for that trip but I did last Wednesday when I was out taking soil, water, and gas samples from the Tippecanoe River.

Map turtles tend to be more carnivorous than other species of emydids ("pond" turtles). The females in particular have very robust and powerful jaws for crushing mollusks and crustaceans. The family they belong to, the more typical looking turtles, the Emydidae, are commonly called "pond turtles." But this name is misleading in the case of map turtles. Maps are riverine species. The seem to require the fresh, flowing water supplied by their river habitat and actually get on very poorly if this system can't be imitated in captivity.

I can't look at any baby turtle without cooing all over it. Aren't they just the cutest little things you've ever seen? The picture was taken on June 11th, 2014.