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The Alamos mud turtle (''Kinosternon alamosae'') is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of mud turtle in the family
Kinosternidae The Kinosternidae are a family of mostly small turtles that includes the mud turtles and musk turtles. The family contains 25 species within four genera, but taxonomic reclassification is an ongoing process, so many sources vary on the exact num ...
. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, where it occurs in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora.


Description

The Alamos mud turtles are slightly less than average in size compared to other members of the same genus. Males tend to be larger than females, with matured females having an average carapace length of 95–100 mm, compared to an average of 90–120 mm with their male counterparts. When males are compared to females, there are a few notable differences. Males have a much narrower carapace, a shorter plastron, a shorter plastral hind lobe, narrower plastral lobes, a shorter bridge, and a shorter interanal seam.Iverson, J. B. (1989). Natural History of the Alamos Mud Turtle, ''Kinosternon alamosae'' (Kinosternidae). Southwestern Association of Naturalists, 34(1), 134–142. doi: 10.2307/3671819


Habitat

Alamos mud turtles prefer temporary pond habitats. Examples of such include arroyos, roadside ditches, and cattle tanks. The Alamos mud turtle also has an extraordinary thermal tolerance. Researchers have found them in shallow ponds (~10 cm deep) with temperatures reaching as high as 42 °C. Some specimen are even located in ponds that are scalding to the touch.


References


Further reading

*Berry, J. F. and Legler, J. M. 1980. A new turtle (genus ''Kinosternon'') from northwestern Mexico. ''Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County'' 325, 1–12. Kinosternon Endemic reptiles of Mexico Natural history of Sinaloa Natural history of Sonora Reptiles described in 1980 {{turtle-stub