The United States is home to more turtle species than any other country in the world, almost 100 species, and subspecies. But those turtle species are not distributed evenly, so most states won’t always be home to the same turtle species, even if they are very close.
Florida is home to 34 turtle species. In this article I am going to take a closer look at each species and cover a few basic things about them, things like the appearance, lifespan, how big it can get, diet, where it lives, conservation status, and reproduction.
Quick list of the native turtles of Florida:
- Alabama Map Turtle Graptemys pulchra
- Alligator Snapping Turtle Macroclemys temminckii
- Barbour’s Map Turtle Graptemys barbouri
- Carolina Diamondback Terrapin Malaclemys terrapin centrata
- Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus
- Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina
- Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina carolina
- Eastern Chicken Turtle Deirochelys reticularia reticularia
- Eastern Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
- Eastern River Cooter Pseudemys concinna concinna
- Ernst’s Map Turtle Graptemys ernsti
- Florida Box Turtle Terrapene carolina bauri
- Florida Chicken Turtle Deirochelys reticularia chrysea
- Florida Cooter Pseudemys floridana
- Florida East Coast Terrapin Malaclemys terrapin tequesta
- Florida Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrubrum steindachneri
- Florida Redbelly Turtle Pseudemys nelsoni
- Florida Softshell Apalone ferox
- Florida Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina osceola
- Gopher Tortoise Gopherus polyphemus
- Gulf Coast Box Turtle Terrapene carolina major
- Gulf Coast Smooth Softshell Apalone mutica calvata
- Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Apalone spinifera aspera
- Loggerhead Musk Turtle Sternotherus minor minor
- Mangrove Diamondback Terrapin Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum
- Ornate Diamondback Terrapin Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota
- Peninsula Cooter Pseudemys floridana peninsularis
- Red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans
- Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata
- Striped Mud Turtle Kinosternon baurii
- Stripe Neck Musk Turtle Sternotherus minor peltifer
- Suwannee River Cooter Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis
- Three-toed Box Turtle Terrapene Carolina triunguis
- Yellowbelly Slider Trachemys scripta scripta
Now let’s take a closer look at the native turtles of Florida.
The Native Turtles of Florida
Quick Note: Most turtle subspecies are very similar, so besides some few differences in color it’s possible that everything else about them to be the same.
Quick Note: In this list I am also going to tell you the conservation status of the species, meaning how close they are to extinction. I will give a more in depth explanation of this ranking works, at the end of the article, but until then I will add a picture that will let you know the basics.
Alabama Map Turtle (Graptemys pulchra)
Description: Alabama Map Turtle usually ranges in color from green to brown to black. On the upper part of their shell, they have a pattern that resembles the one of a map, as well as a pronounced line formed of knobbed keels. As Alabama Map Turtles age, the pattern, as well as the knobbed line start to disappear. The lower part of the shell is usually colored yellow. On their skin, they usually have a pattern formed of yellow lines.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Males usually reach sizes between 3 and 5 inches, while females are considerably bigger, reaching sizes between 8 and 10 inches.
Where it lives: Map turtles can be found in waters that are stagnant or slow-moving, and that has a lot of vegetation. So they can be usually seen in rivers, slow-moving streams, lakes, and ponds.
Diet: Map turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat meat, insects, fruit, vegetables, aquatic vegetation, and everything else that they can find.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Map turtles usually nest multiple times a year from the start of the spring up until the end of the summer.
Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii)
Description: The Alligator Snapping Turtle is usually black or dark brown, and it has a very spiky appearance. The entirety of the upper part of the shell is covered with pronounced, but not sharp, spikes. The skin is also covered with very spike-like structures. Alligator Snapping Turtle also possesses one of the snapping turtles’ distinct features, a sharp beak.
How long it can live: Between 60 and 70 years.
How big it can get: Between 15 and 26 inches. The biggest known alligator snapping turtle reached 31.5 inches.
Where it lives: The alligator snapping turtle can usually be found at the bottom of rivers, lakes, sloughs, swamps, and bayous.
Diet: Omnivorous. They usually hunt their prey, but not actively, they do this by sitting at the bottom of the lake with their mouth open, while waiting for their prey.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: Nesting season is May to July. Incubation usually lasts between 70 and 100 days.
Barbour’s Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri)
Description: Barbour’s map turtles have dark brown or black skin with light yellow to green markings. On the upper part of the shell can be found their most distinct feature, the spines. Those spines can vary in size from individual to individual, but one thing that all of them have in common is the fact that all of them have very dark tips.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Males usually reach sizes between 3 and 5 inches, while females are considerably bigger, reaching sizes between 8 and 10 inches.
Where it lives: Map turtles can be found in waters that are stagnant or slow-moving, and that has a lot of vegetation. So they can be usually seen in rivers, slow-moving streams, lakes, and ponds.
Diet: Map turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat meat, insects, fruit, vegetables, aquatic vegetation, and everything else that they can find
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Map turtles usually nest multiple times a year from the start of the spring up until the end of the summer
Carolina Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin centrata)
Description: The Carolina Diamondback Terrapin can be easily spotted due to its light-colored skin, which can range in color from white to grey. The skin is also covered with black spots and blobs. The shell is usually brown and covered with a black pattern.
How long it can live: Between 25 and 35 years.
How big it can get: Males usually reach sizes between 4 and 6 inches, females reach sizes between 5 and 8 inches.
Where it lives: Diamondback terrapins can usually be found near brackish waters, and in coastal salt marshes.
Diet: Diamondback terrapins are carnivores, so their diet is mostly made out of meat, fish, insects, and other small animals.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: Nesting season is between April and July, the incubation period usually lasts between 80 and 90 days.
Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
Description: The Common Musk Turtle has a very plain appearance with very consistent colors. The color of the shell and the skin is usually very similar and it can usually be dark brown or black. The shell has one distinct feature and that is a ridge that traverses the entire length of the shell. Another distinguishable feature of the Common Musk turtle can be found on its head in the form of two light-colored stripes.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Common Musk turtles are very small, they usually reach sizes between 3 and 4.5 inches.
Where it lives: Like most aquatic turtles, the musk turtle can be found in all minds of slow-moving and still body waters. But in general, they prefer waters that have a soft bottom, like mud or sand.
Diet: Common Musk turtles are omnivorous and feed on small aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, aquatic plants, and carrion, and any other kind of fruit or vegetable that they can find.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season usually starts in late May and lasts until August. The average incubation period of the eggs is 75 days.
Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Description: Common Snapping Turtles can range in color from brown to black. They usually have very long legs, necks and tails. And they have a pronounced beak-like mouth.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Between 12 and 15 inches, in rare cases, some of them can reach even 19 inches.
Where it lives: A habitat generalist, the common snapping turtle can be found in almost any body of freshwater with a muddy bottom.
Diet: They are omnivorous, which means that they eat both meat and plants. When it comes to the meat they will scavenge, or actively hunt their prey in the water.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season is May to July. Incubation usually lasts between 70 and 100 days.
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
Description: The Eastern Box Turtles have a very dome-like shaped shell that ranges in color from brown to black. Besides the shape of the shell, the other most recognizable element is the pattern of the shell and skin, the pattern of the Eastern Box turtles can vary from individual to individual but it can usually be described as a lot of spots or blobs, that are colored yellow, red or orange.
How long it can live: Between 50 and 100 years.
How big it can get: Most Box turtles reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches.
Where it lives: Unlike most turtles, Box turtles live on land instead of water. They can be usually be found across open woodlands as well as grasslands and meadows.
Diet: Box turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat anything that they can find, meat, insects, fruits, vegetables, and any kind of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: The nesting period takes place between May and July. The incubation period for the eggs is between 70 and 80 days.
Eastern Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia)
Description: The Eastern Chicken Turtle has a shell that is shaped similarly to an egg, compared to other turtles. The color of the shell is usually dark brown or black, and it has a relatively subtle pattern that it’s usually yellow in color. The lower side of the shell is usually yellow. The skin of the turtle is usually a dark color and it’s covered with yellow stripes.
How long it can live: Between 15 and 30 years.
How big it can get: Most females are slightly larger than males, but overall chicken turtles reach sizes between 5 and 10 inches.
Where it lives: Chicken turtles can be found in canals, marshes, cypress, ponds, and other bodies of still or sluggish water. They are frequently found in the sandhills.
Diet: They are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, fish, snails, insects, as well as fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring, and ends in late summer. On average, the incubation period of the eggs ranges from 75 to 90 days.
Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum)
Description: The Eastern Mud turtle has a very plain look, the upper part of the shell usually lacks any pattern and the color can range from a dark yellow to black. The lower side of the carapace is also very plain, but it’s usually a little lighter than the upper part. One of the few distinct features of the Eastern Mud Turtle is the stripes on the head that can range in color from white to yellow.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: They usually reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches.
Where it lives: As the name implies Mud turtles prefer to stay in water bodies that have a soft bottom, composed of either sand or mud. So they can be usually found in lakes, swamps, marshes, and rivers.
Diet: Mud turtles are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, snails, fish, insects, as well as fruits, vegetables, and other kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May, and ends around the end of July. The incubation period is longer than that of most turtles, lasting around 100 to 110 days.
Eastern River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna)
Description: The Eastern River Cooter has a broad shell and numerous stripes on the head, which is blunt and proportionately small compared to the shell. The upper shell is olive-brown, brown, or nearly black, with numerous concentric yellow lines or markings. The lower shell is either plain yellow or may have some faint gray-brown markings along the scutes. The skin is usually olive to olive-brown and has numerous yellow lines.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Most of them reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches, but it’s not uncommon to find females that reach sizes bigger than that, sometimes even 15 inches.
Where it lives: They generally prefer water streams, but they can also be found in lakes, ponds, and manmade environments.
Diet: In general they prefer fruits, vegetables, and other forms of vegetation over meat, but they can be occasionally seen eating insects and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 100 days.
Escambia Map Turtle (Graptemys ernsti)
Description: Escambia Map Turtles have a brown colored shell that has a pronounced vertebral keel that is colored black. The skin of the Escambia Map Turtle is usually black and covered with white or white-yellow lines. Behind and between the eyes can be found big white spots.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Males usually reach sizes between 3 and 5 inches, while females are considerably bigger, reaching sizes between 8 and 10 inches.
Where it lives: Map turtles can be found in waters that are stagnant or slow-moving, and that has a lot of vegetation. So they can be usually seen in rivers, slow-moving streams, lakes, and ponds.
Diet: Map turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat meat, insects, fruit, vegetables, aquatic vegetation, and everything else that they can find.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Map turtles usually nest multiple times a year from the start of the spring up until the end of the summer.
Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri)
Description: The Florida Box Turtle has a dome-like shaped shell that is usually colored dark brown or black. The upper part of the shell is covered with a pattern of lines that can range in color from orange to yellow. The lower part of the shell is usually colored orange or yellow. The skin is usually dark brown or black and it’s covered with orange or yellow spots.
How long it can live: Between 50 and 100 years.
How big it can get: Most Box turtles reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches.
Where it lives: Unlike most turtles, Box turtles live on land instead of water. They can be usually be found across open woodlands as well as grasslands and meadows.
Diet: Box turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat anything that they can find, meat, insects, fruits, vegetables, and any kind of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: The nesting period takes place between May and July. The incubation period for the eggs is between 70 and 80 days.
Eastern Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia)
Description: The Eastern Chicken Turtle has a shell that is shaped similarly to an egg, compared to other turtles. The color of the shell is usually dark brown or black, and it has a relatively subtle pattern that it’s usually yellow in color. The lower side of the shell is usually yellow. The skin of the turtle is usually a dark color and it’s covered with yellow stripes.
How long it can live: Between 15 and 30 years.
How big it can get: Most females are slightly larger than males, but overall chicken turtles reach sizes between 5 and 10 inches.
Where it lives: Chicken turtles can be found in canals, marshes, cypress, ponds, and other bodies of still or sluggish water. They are frequently found in the sandhills.
Diet: They are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, fish, snails, insects, as well as fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring, and ends in late summer. On average, the incubation period of the eggs ranges from 75 to 90 days.
Florida Cooter (Pseudemys floridana)
Description: What distinguishes the Florida Cooter from most other turtles is its flattened shape. Their carapace has a dark background with a yellow or orange pattern. The plastron has no markings, and there are hollow oval markings on the marginal scutes.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Most of them reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches, but it’s not uncommon to find females that reach sizes bigger than that, sometimes even 15 inches.
Where it lives: They generally prefer water streams, but they can also be found in lakes, ponds, and manmade environments.
Diet: In general they prefer fruits, vegetables, and other forms of vegetation over meat, but they can be occasionally seen eating insects and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average, the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 100 days.
Florida East Coast Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin tequesta)
Description: The Florida East Coast Terrapins have medium grooves on their shells that are black or dark brown. They also tend to have medium knobs when they hatch but they normally are flat by the time they reach 3 inches. The lower side of their shells is usually black or brown. Their skin is usually white with black spots near the head and black with small white spots on the rest of the body.
How long it can live: Between 25 and 35 years.
How big it can get: males usually reach sizes between 4 and 6 inches, females reach sizes between 5 and 8 inches.
Where it lives: Diamondback terrapins can usually be found near brackish waters, and in coastal salt marshes.
Diet: Diamondback terrapins are carnivores, so their diet is mostly made out of meat, fish, insects, and other small animals.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: Nesting season is between April and July, the incubation period usually lasts between 80 and 90 days.
Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum)
Description: The Eastern Mud turtle has a very plain look, the upper part of the shell usually lacks any pattern and the color can range from a dark yellow to black. The lower side of the carapace is also very plain, but it’s usually a little lighter than the upper part. One of the few distinct features of the Eastern Mud Turtle is the stripes on the head that can range in color from white to yellow.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: They usually reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches.
Where it lives: As the name implies Mud turtles prefer to stay in water bodies that have a soft bottom, composed of either sand or mud. So they can be usually found in lakes, swamps, marshes, and rivers.
Diet: Mud turtles are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, snails, fish, insects, as well as fruits, vegetables, and other kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May, and ends around the end of July. The incubation period is longer than that of most turtles, lasting around 100 to 110 days.
Florida Redbelly Turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni)
Description: The Florida Redbelly Turtle has a very very dome-like shaped shell, that is usually colored dark brown or black, just like the skin. The upper part of the shell also has a few light-colored spots. The lower part of the shell is, as the name implies, colored red, or bright orange. The skin is usually covered with yellow stripes.
How long it can live: Between 40 and 60 years.
How big it can get: Florida Redbelly turtles are average-sized compared to most turtles, reaching sizes between 8 and 14 inches.
Where it lives: They can be found in all kinds of slow-moving, and still bodies of water. But in general, they prefer canals and lakes.
Diet: The Redbelly turtles are mainly herbivores, and they usually eat aquatic plants.
Conservation Status: Not Threatened
Reproduction: The nesting season usually starts in March and ends in June. The average time an egg needs to spend incubating is 80 days.
Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox)
Description: The Florida Smooth Softshell Turtle is a rather plain-looking softshell turtle. The shell has a few bumps on the upper part of the shell. The color will usually range from olive-gray to dark brown. The color of the head and limbs also ranges in color from olive or gray above, and light gray or cream-colored below.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 30 years.
How big it can get: Florida Softshell turtles are average-sized, in general, they reach sizes between 10 and 12 inches.
Where it lives: They can be found in a lot of slow-moving or still body water, but in general they seem to prefer lakes.
Diet: Florida Softshell turtles are carnivorous, their diet mainly consists of snails and fish.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 70 and 80 days.
Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Description: Common Snapping Turtles can range in color from brown to black. They usually have very long legs, necks, and tails. And they have a pronounced beak-like mouth.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years.
How big it can get: Between 12 and 15 inches, in rare cases, some of them can reach even 19 inches.
Where it lives: A habitat generalist, the common snapping turtle can be found in almost any body of freshwater with a muddy bottom.
Diet: They are omnivorous, which means that they eat both meat and plants. When it comes to the meat they will scavenge, or actively hunt their prey in the water.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season is May to July. Incubation usually lasts between 70 and 100 days.
Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
Description: The Gopher Tortoise is a rather plain-looking tortoise. The upper part of the shell is usually dark grey or brown, while the lower part is usually yellow with a black pattern. The skin color is usually dark grey or brown, just like the upper part of the shell.
How long it can live: Between 40 and 60 years.
How big it can get: In general they reach sizes between 10 and 15 inches.
Where it lives: Gopher tortoises live in burrows that they dig themselves. These burrows can be extremely long and can have multiple entrances.
Diet: They are mainly herbivorous creatures, and their diet mainly consists of grass, mushrooms, and berries.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts around 80 days.
Gulf Coast Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina major)
Description: The Gulf Coast Box Turtle has a dome-like shell that is usually colored dark brown or olive. The upper part of the shell is usually covered with a pattern of radiating stripes that are colored yellow. The lower part of the shell is usually dark brown and can have a pattern of radiating lines, but it’s not always the case. The skin is usually dark brown or black and it’s covered with red, orange, or yellow spots.
How long it can live: Between 50 and 100 years.
How big it can get: Most Box turtles reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches,
Where it lives: Unlike most turtles, Box turtles live on land instead of water. They can be usually be found across open woodlands as well as grasslands and meadows.
Diet: Box turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat anything that they can find, meat, insects, fruits, vegetables, and any kind of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: The nesting period takes place between May and July. The incubation period for the eggs is between 70 and 80 days.
Gulf Coast Smooth Softshell (Apalone mutica calvata)
Description: The color of the Gulf Coast Smooth Softshell Turtle ranges from olive to dark brown. Like it’s the case with all softshells the shell is a lot rounder and flatter than most turtles. The upper part of the shell has dark markings on the carapace, the female’s markings may be in a more blotchy pattern than the males.
How long it can live: Between 40 and 60 years.
How big it can get: In general Smooth Softshell turtles reach sizes between 6 and 13 inches.
Where it lives: They can be found in most water bodies, but they show a preference towards areas with a sandy or muddy substrate.
Diet: Smooth softshell turtles are omnivores, but they definitely prefer meat over plants, so in general they will consume meat, insects, snails, and fish, and occasionally they will eat some fruits, vegetables, and other kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in May and ends in July. The incubation usually lasts between 70 and 100 days.
Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera aspera)
Description: Like most softshell turtle the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle has a very flat appearance. The color of the shell and skin is usually is a gray olive with multiple small black spots. It also has bumpy projections beginning at the front edge of the carapace and going partway down the center of its shell. Located along the bottom edge of the carapace are three lines that follow the edge of the shell going back towards its’ head.
How long it can live: Between 40 and 60 years.
How big it can get: In general males are considerably smaller than females. Males reach sizes between 5 and 10 inches, while females reach sizes between 9 and 20 inches.
Where it lives: Spiny Softshell turtles can be found in any aquatic habitat: lakes, rivers, reservoirs, wetlands, and marshes.
Diet: They are carnivores, so they mainly eat small aquatic animals, snails, and insects.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring and ends during the summer. The incubation period of the eggs is 80 days.
Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor)
Description: The Loggerhead Musk Turtle has very pronounced scutes in the middle of the shell, but as the turtle ages this characteristic becomes less and less visible. The upper part of the shell is usually light brown, and it has a small streak of black. The lower side of the shell is usually colored light brown or yellow. The skin is typically black and covered with light brown lines.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Loggerhead Musk turtles are one of the smallest turtle species in the US, usually it only reaches sizes between 3 and 4 inches.
Where it lives: Loggerhead Musk turtles can be found in most water bodies that have still or slow-moving waters.
Diet: They are carnivorous, and their diet mainly consists of fish, mollusks, and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring, and ends in late summer. On average, the incubation period of the eggs ranges from 60 to 120 days.
Mangrove Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum)
Description: The Mangrove Diamondback Terrapin has a dark brown colored upper shell that is covered with a pattern of pulsating light-colored lines. The lower part of the shell is usually yellow, or light brown and covered with dark spots. The skin of the Mangrove Diamondback Terrapin is usually dark grey and covered with big black spots.
How long it can live: Between 25 and 35 years.
How big it can get: males usually reach sizes between 4 and 6 inches, females reach sizes between 5 and 8 inches.
Where it lives: Diamondback terrapins can usually be found near brackish waters, and in coastal salt marshes.
Diet: Diamondback terrapins are carnivores, so their diet is mostly made out of meat, fish, insects, and other small animals.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: Nesting season is between April and July, the incubation period usually lasts between 80 and 90 days.
Ornate Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota)
Description: The Ornate Diamondback Terrapin usually has a dark brown or olive-colored upper shell, that is covered with small yellow or light brown spots. The lower side of the shell is usually yellow or light brown. The skin of the Ornate Diamondback Terrapin is usually grey and it’s covered with numerous small black spots.
How long it can live: Between 25 and 35 years.
How big it can get: males usually reach sizes between 4 and 6 inches, females reach sizes between 5 and 8 inches
Where it lives: Diamondback terrapins can usually be found near brackish waters, and in coastal salt marshes.
Diet: Diamondback terrapins are carnivores, so their diet is mostly made out of meat, fish, insects, and other small animals.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: Nesting season is between April and July, the incubation period usually lasts between 80 and 90 days.
Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis)
Description: The upper part of the shell is usually dark brown or black with a yellow or orange pattern. The lower side of the shell is usually yellow or orange. The skin of the Peninsula Cooter is usually black and it’s covered with yellow or orange stripes.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Most of them reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches, but it’s not uncommon to find females that reach sizes bigger than that, sometimes even 15 inches.
Where it lives: They generally prefer water streams, but they can also be found in lakes, ponds, and manmade environments.
Diet: In general they prefer fruits, vegetables, and other forms of vegetation over meat, but they can be occasionally seen eating insects and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 100 days.
Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
Description: The most distinct feature of the Red Eared Slider are the red lines that can be easily seen behind the eyes, those lines can vary in color from red to orange and rarely yellow, but in most cases they are red. In general, the color of their skin and shell can range from brown to black, and their skin is covered with yellow stripes.
How long it can live: Between 30 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Red Eared Sliders usually reach sizes between 7 and 12 inches, in most cases, the females are slightly bigger than the males.
Where it lives: They are often found in slow-moving streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, and marshes with a fresh and warm water supply.
Diet: Red Eared Sliders are omnivorous, their diet usually consists of meat, fish, insects, snails, aquatic vegetation, fruits, and vegetables.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting season usually starts in March and ends in June. The average time an egg needs to incubate is 75 days.
Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Description: The Spotted Turtle has a black upper part of the shell that is covered with yellow, orange, or red spots. The lower part of the shell is usually yellow, orange, or red with a black pattern. The upper side of the skin is usually black and covered with spots just like the upper part of the shell, while the lower part of the skin is colored just like the underside of the shell, yellow, orange, or red.
How long it can live: Between 100 and 150 years.
How big it can get: Spotted turtles are one of the smallest turtle species in the US, usually, it only reaches sizes between 3 and 4 inches.
Where it lives: In general Spotted turtles can be found in marshes, wet meadows, swamps, bogs, and shallow borders of ponds, lakes, and streams.
Diet: Spotted turtles are omnivorous. They feed primarily on aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, but will also eat invertebrates.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 90 days.
Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)
Description: The striped mud turtle is characterized by the three longitudinal stripes on its carapace, as well as by the stripes on its head. Those stripes are usually a lighter color than the rest of the turtle, but in some cases, the difference in color is not very evident.
How long it can live: Between 15 and 20 years.
How big it can get: Striped Mud turtles are the smallest of all Mud turtles, only reaching sizes between 3 and 5 inches.
Where it lives: As the name implies Mud turtles prefer to stay in water bodies that have a soft bottom, composed of either sand or mud. So they can be usually found in lakes, swamps, marshes, and rivers.
Diet: Mud turtles are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, snails, fish, insects, as well as fruits, vegetables, and other kinds of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May, and ends around the end of July. The incubation period is longer than that of most turtles, lasting around 100 to 110 days.
Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor)
Description: The Loggerhead Musk Turtle has very pronounced scutes in the middle of the shell, but as the turtle ages this characteristic becomes less and less visible. The upper part of the shell is usually light brown, and it has a small streak of black. The lower side of the shell is usually colored light brown or yellow. The skin is typically black and covered with light brown lines.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Loggerhead Musk turtles are one of the smallest turtle species in the US, usually it only reaches sizes between 3 and 4 inches.
Where it lives: Loggerhead Musk turtles can be found in most water bodies that have still or slow-moving waters.
Diet: They are carnivorous, and their diet mainly consists of fish, mollusks, and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring, and ends in late summer. On average, the incubation period of the eggs ranges from 60 to 120 days.
Suwannee River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
Description: The Suwannee River Cooter can range in color from dark brown to black. The upper part of the shell is usually covered with a lightly colored pattern that covers the entire shell. The lower part of the shell is usually yellow or orange. The skin of the Suwannee River Cooter is usually covered with yellow stripes that carry in width.
How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years.
How big it can get: Most of them reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches, but it’s not uncommon to find females that reach sizes bigger than that, sometimes even 15 inches.
Where it lives: They generally prefer water streams, but they can also be found in lakes, ponds, and manmade environments.
Diet: In general they prefer fruits, vegetables, and other forms of vegetation over meat, but they can be occasionally seen eating insects and snails.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 100 days.
Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina triunguis)
Description: The skin of the Three-toed Box Turtle ranges in color from grey to olive, and it usually has no distinct coloration on it. The upper part of the shell is dome-like shaped and usually has two colors, one that covers the top, and one that covers the sides. Usually, the top part is more lightly colored. The Three-toed Box Turtle also possesses three toes at its feet, hence the name.
How long it can live: Between 50 and 100 years.
How big it can get: Most Box turtles reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches.
Where it lives: Unlike most turtles, Box turtles live on land instead of water. They can be usually be found across open woodlands as well as grasslands and meadows.
Diet: Box turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat anything that they can find, meat, insects, fruits, vegetables, and any kind of vegetation.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Reproduction: The nesting period takes place between May and July. The incubation period for the eggs is between 70 and 80 days.
Yellow Belly Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta)
Description: The Yellow Belly Slider has a dark-colored upper part of the shell that doesn’t have any distinct pattern or any other type of coloration. The lower part of the shell is colored yellow, hence the name, and has different patterns of black spots on it. The color of the skin is usually black, and it has yellow stripes that cover it.
How long it can live: Between 50 to 100 years.
How big it can get: In general most Yellow Belly Sliders reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches.
Where it lives: Yellow Belly Sliders are often found in slow-moving streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, and marshes.
Diet: In general they are omnivores, but as juveniles, they tend to eat exclusively meat.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Reproduction: Nesting season starts in early spring, and ends in late summer. On average, the incubation period of the eggs ranges from 70 to 90 days.
The Conservation Status
The conservation status of a species shows how close a species is to extinction. When a species gets its status there are a lot of factors taken into consideration, not only the number of individuals still leaving.
Even if at the moment there are a lot of individuals of a species, there can be some changes in their environment that will drastically affect the species. For example, the plastic in the water is greatly impacting sea turtles in a negative way.
There are a lot of systems that track the conservation status of a species, but the most well-known and used is the one I used in this article, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. With this system species are classified into nine groups set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. Out of the nine classifications, two of them basically mean that there is not enough data on the species, so you will usually see only seven possible statuses instead of nine.
Here is a list that explains what every status means:
- Extinct (EX) – No known living individuals
- Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range
- Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
- Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild
- Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild
- Near threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future
- Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk; does not qualify for a higher risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
- Data deficient (DD) – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction
- Not evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.
Alien Species of Florida
The turtle species that I listed above are known as native species, but there can be other turtle species that live in that area that are not native, those species are called alien species.
Alien species are species that are not native to an area, but they still live there. Those species are usually brought to that region by humans. So a certain state might be home to 10 turtle species, but only 5 of them can be native.
Alien species can be added to an area to help with certain ecological problems, or by mistake. Turtles can do a lot of good things to an area, they can keep certain insect populations under control, they can eat the overwhelming vegetation, of a lake, that got out of control, and there are a lot of other beneficial things that they can do.
It’s also possible that some unknowing person decided to release a few turtles into the wild. If those turtles manage to reproduce, they can easily start a new alien species in a new area. Overall I strongly suggest you not do this, it can be very dangerous for the ecosystem and for the turtles as well. If you want to know more reasons why you shouldn’t do this, you should read my article: Can Pet Turtle Survive in the Wild?, In this article, I explore all the possible outcomes of this situation.
Florida State Laws Regarding Turtles
Every state in the US has different laws regarding native turtles and turtles in general. Most of those rules are generally designed to protect turtles, so even if they seem a little restrictive, they are there for a good reason. Florida has its own set of laws that are different from any other state. Since a lot of those laws are about the native species I strongly suggest you to visit this interactive map that will point you to an article on this site that explains as simply as possible the state laws in Florida regarding turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.
What to Do If You Find a Wild Native Turtle
What you can do if you find a native wild turtle really depends on your intentions. If you want to take a few photos from a distance, you can definitely do that. If you want to touch the turtle you can usually do that, but you have to take a few cautionary measures.
You have to remember that most wild animals can carry bacteria, and since turtles spend a lot of time in water those bacteria can be a little more dangerous. So if you touch a turtle make sure that you have some wet wipes near you, if you don’t you should probably avoid touching it. But if you still want to, at least try not to put your hands near your face after you touched the turtle.
The most important thing that you have to watch out for when interacting with a wild turtle is the turtle trying to bite you. Generally, turtles are peaceful creatures, but if they think that they are in danger and they have no way of escaping, then they will definitely try to bite you. To prevent this make sure that you don’t let it too close to your toes (if they are exposed), or to your fingers. If you want to pick up a turtle you should catch it by the sides and keep your hands above or below it, never in front of its mouth.
If you want to feed the turtle, you can definitely do that, that would actually be great, but make sure that you are feeding it the right thing, some foods can be very dangerous to turtles, to find out which food items are good and which are bad you can always check out this article where you will also find a few food items lists: What Do Turtles Eat ? ( Including Food Lists )
If you want to take the turtle home as a pet, you first have to make sure that it’s legal to do so. Most states, including Florida, have laws that protect wild native turtles. You can check out the laws of Florida on this page: Turtle State Laws.
If it’s winter or close to winter there is a chance that you can find a hibernating turtle. When turtles hibernate, they enter a very profound sleep which allows them to conserve energy. They generally do this because during cold seasons there is little to no food available to them, and because there is no heat to allow them to heat up their body ( turtles are unable to produce their own body heat). If during a cold season you find a turtle that is hibernating, usually the best thing that you can do is to leave it to hibernate peacefully. Usually, turtles know how to choose a good spot to hibernate, so they are probably just fine. If you want to know more about turtle hibernation, I’ve written a more in-depth article that covers the subject, In this article, I cover why turtles hibernate, how hibernation takes place, how aquatic turtles hibernate, how land turtles hibernate, how sea turtles hibernate, what is brumation, and many other important and interesting things about hibernation: Do Turtles Hibernate?
Conclusion
This article should cover every basic thing about the native turtles of Florida. But if you have a question about something that you couldn’t find in the article you should leave a comment, I will do my best to answer it as soon as possible.
If you want to know more facts about turtles you can always check out the category: Turtle Facts. Or if you are a turtle owner and you want to know more about how to properly take care of a turtle or a tortoise you can always check the Care Guides Section, or the Recommended Products Section.
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Victor – I love your site. I’m in North Florida (Wewahitchka). I had a tortoise come into my garage. I couldn’t identify him from your pics. I set him free and closed the garage. If I send you a pic, can you identify him?
Sure, send the picture to our email and I will do my best.