Description: The loggerhead musk turtle gets its common name from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). Its head has a light-colored background with dark spots/stripes. Hatchlings are about 1 inch in straight carapace length and grow up to around 3 to 5 inches by adulthood. Juveniles have three keels on the carapace that usually disappear by adulthood. The loggerhead musk turtle has barbels present on the chin only, not on the throat.
Habitat:S. minor lives in clean freshwater habitats such as springs, streams, runs, wetlands, ponds, and rivers.
Range:S. minor is found in freshwaters of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. It occurs in the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and Apalachicola river systems. It shares parts of its range in southeast Alabama, west Florida, and west Georgia with the Striped-Neck Musk Turtle (Sternotherus peltifer), and both species can be found in rivers such as the Choctawhatchee and Perdido.
Diet: The diet of the loggerhead musk turtle changes as it grows. Younger turtles have a more varied diet, eating insects, snails, crayfish, and clams while adults eat mostly snails and clams since adults are larger.
Reproduction: In the wild, mating takes place underwater in shaded areas. Males exhibit several different behaviors during the mating process including: cloacal sniffing, bridge sniffing, mounting, following the female, biting, moving the head from one side to the other, and interlocking of tails.
S. minor is oviparous. Between August and June, females can lay up to five clutches with one to four eggs per clutch. Larger females tend to have larger eggs and more eggs per clutch. Females lay their eggs on the shore, in holes 3.1 to 5.9 inches deep. Hatchlings typically have a carapace length of 0.97 inches.
Status: The IUCN has listed the loggerhead musk turtle as an animal of least concern. Some common threats to this turtle include habitat loss, negative interactions with humans, such as being killed by cars or boats or dying after biting fish hooks, and indirect threats such as threats to their food sources. While this turtle is vulnerable to habitat loss, many waterways within its range are protected by Florida state law. Florida list it as a protected species.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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