The Kinosternidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of mostly small

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s that includes the

mud turtle ''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles. Geographic range They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexico, a ...

s and musk turtles. The family contains 25

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 ...

within four

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, but

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

reclassification is an ongoing process, so many sources vary on the exact numbers of species and

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. They inhabit slow-moving bodies of water, often with soft, muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation.

Description

Most kinosternids are small turtles, in carapace length. The highly

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

d carapace has a distinct keel down its center. The genus '' Staurotypus'' gets much larger, to . Females are generally larger than males, but males have much longer

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

s. Kinosternids can be

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

, or

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

ish in color. Most species do not have shell markings, but some species have radiating black markings on each

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

scute A scute or scutum (Latin: ''scutum''; plural: ''scuta'' "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds. The term is also used to describe the anterior po ...

. Some species have distinctive yellow striping along the sides of the head and neck. The musk turtles are so named because they are capable of releasing a foul-smelling

musk Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

from glands under the rear of their shells when disturbed. They are native to North America and South America.

Diet

All members of the family are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

, feeding on

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s, aquatic

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

annelid The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s, small

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

, and sometimes

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

. Though they still eat vegetation such as aquatic plants. In captivity they can eat red and green leaf lettuce.

Reproduction

Kinosternids lay about four hard-shelled

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

during the late spring and early summer. After hatching, some species overwinter in the subterranean nest, emerging the following spring. Some adults also spend the winter on land, constructing a burrow with a small air hole used on warm days. Kinosternids contain the only

known, or at least suspected, to exhibit parental care. Studies of the

yellow mud turtle The yellow mud turtle (''Kinosternon flavescens''), also commonly known as the yellow-necked mud turtle, is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the Central United States and Mexico. Distribution *North ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, United States, suggest females sometimes stay with the nest and may urinate on the eggs long after laying, to either keep them moist or to protect them from

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

predation (by making them less palatable). Some kinosternids, particularly those in the genera ''

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

'' and '' Staurotypus'', exhibit genetic sex determination; in ''Staurotypus'' this is XY sex determination, and the same is suspected to be true of ''Claudius'' as well. ''

Kinosternon ''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles. Geographic range They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexico, a ...

'' and ''

Sternotherus ''Sternotherus'' is a genus of turtles in the family Kinosternidae including six species commonly known as musk turtles. The genus is endemic to North America, occurring in the eastern third of the USA and southeast Ontario, Canada. Musk glands ...

'' have

temperature-dependent sex determination Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the temperatures experienced during embryonic/larval development determine the sex of the offspring. It is only observed in reptiles and teleost fish ...

as is typical of turtles.

Taxonomy

Family Kinosternidae * Genus †'' Baltemys velogastros'' * Genus †'' Xenochelys floridensis'' * Genus †'' Yelmochelys'' * Subfamily Kinosterninae ** Genus ''

'' ***

Tabasco mud turtle The Tabasco mud turtle (''Kinosternon acutum''), commonly known as pochitoque in Tabasco, Mexico, is a small turtle which belongs to the family Kinosternidae. It can be found in central Veracruz, Tabasco, northern Guatemala and Belize. This turt ...

- ''K. acutum''

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, 1831 ***

Alamos mud turtle The Alamos mud turtle (''Kinosternon alamosae'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is endemic to Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of Nort ...

- ''K. alamosae''

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

& Legler, 1980 ***

Central American mud turtle The Central American mud turtle (''Kinosternon angustipons''), also known as the narrow-bridged mud turtle, is a species of mud turtle in the Kinosternidae family endemic to Central America. It can be found in the following countries: Costa Ric ...

- ''K. angustipons'' Legler, 1965 *** Arizona mud turtle - ''K. arizonense'' Gilmore, 1923 *** Striped mud turtle - ''K. baurii'' (

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pla ...

, 1891) *** Jalisco mud turtle - ''K. chimalhuaca'' Berry, Seidel, & Iverson, 1996 ***

Creaser's mud turtle Creaser's mud turtle (''Kinosternon creaseri'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. Geographic range ''K. creaseri'' is found in the Mexican states of C ...

- ''K. creaseri'' Hartweg, 1934 ***

Dunn's mud turtle Dunn's mud turtle (''Kinosternon dunni''), also known commonly as the Colombian mud turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. Etymology The epithet or specific name, ''dunni'', honors Emmett Reid Dunn, an American herpetolog ...

- ''K. dunni''

Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian crater), a List of craters on ...

, 1947 ***

Durango mud turtle The Durango mud turtle (''Kinosternon durangoense'') is a species of mud turtle in the Kinosternidae The Kinosternidae are a family of mostly small turtles that includes the mud turtles and musk turtles. The family contains 25 species within ...

- ''K. durangoense'' Iverson, 1979 ***

Yellow mud turtle The yellow mud turtle (''Kinosternon flavescens''), also commonly known as the yellow-necked mud turtle, is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the Central United States and Mexico. Distribution *North ...

- ''K. flavescens'' ( Agassiz, 1857) *** Herrera's mud turtle - ''K. herrerai'' Stejneger, 1925 ***

Rough-footed mud turtle The rough-footed mud turtle (''Kinosternon hirtipes'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Geographic range ''K. hirtipes'' is found in the Unite ...

- ''K. hirtipes'' ( Wagler, 1830) ****Valley of Mexico mud turtle - ''K. h. hirtipes'' (Wagler, 1830) ****Lake Chapala mud turtle - ''K. h. chapalaense'' (Iverson, 1981) ****San Juanico mud turtle - ''K. h. magdalense'' (Iverson, 1981) ****Viesca mud turtle - ''K. h. megacephalum'' (extinct) (Iverson, 1981) ****Mexican plateau mud turtle - ''K. h. murrayi'' (Glass and Hartweg, 1951) ****Patzcuarco mud turtle - ''K. h. tarascense'' (Inverson, 1981) *** Mexican mud turtle - ''K. integrum'' (LeConte, 1954) ***

White-lipped mud turtle The white-lipped mud turtle (''Kinosternon leucostomum'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Central America and northwestern South America. Geographic range ''Kinosternon leucostomum'' is found in ...

- ''K. leucostomum'' Duméril,

Bibron Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hir ...

& Duméril, 1851 ****Northern white-lipped mud turtle - ''K. l. leucostomum'' Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1851 ****Southern white-lipped mud turtle - ''K. l. postinguinale'' (Cope, 1887) *** Oaxaca mud turtle - ''K. oaxacae'' Berry & Iverson, 1980 ***

Scorpion mud turtle The scorpion mud turtle or Tabasco mud turtle (''Kinosternon scorpioides'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America. It is a medium to large kinosternid (mud turtle) with a domed, ...

- ''K. scorpioides'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1766) ****Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. scorpioides'' (Linnaeus, 1766) ****Central Chiapas mud turtle - ''K. s. abaxillare'' (Baur, 1925) ****White-throated mud turtle - ''K. s. albogulare'' (Duméril and Bibron, 1870) ****Red-cheeked mud turtle - ''K. s. cruentatum'' (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1851) ***

Sonora mud turtle The Sonora mud turtle (''Kinosternon sonoriense''), also known as the Sonoyta mud turtle, is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family. It is found in Mexico and the United States. The Sonoran mud turtle species is heavily influenced by it ...

- ''K. sonoriense'' ( Le Conte, 1854) ****Sonora mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. sonoriense'' (Le Conte, 1854) ****Sonoyta mud turtle - ''K. s. longifemorale'' (Inverson, 1981) *** Eastern mud turtle - ''K. subrubrum'' ( Bonnaterre, 1789) ****Eastern mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. subrubrum'' (Bonnaterre, 1789) ****Mississippi mud turtle - ''K. s. hippocrepis'' (Bonnaterre, 1789) ****Florida mud turtle - ''K. s. steindachneri'' (Siebenrock, 1906) ** Genus ''

'' ***

Razor-backed musk turtle The razor-backed musk turtle (''Sternotherus carinatus'') is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southern United States. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid."''Sternotherus carinat ...

, ''S. carinatus'' (Gray, 1856) ***

Flattened musk turtle The flattened musk turtle (''Sternotherus depressus'') is a critically endangered species of freshwater turtle in the Family (biology), family Kinosternidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to the southern United States. Geographic range ''S. ...

, ''S. depressus'' (

Tinkle ''Tinkle'' is an Indian fortnightly magazine for children in English, published from Mumbai. Originally owned by the India Book House, the Tinkle brand was acquired by ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) Media in 2007. The magazine contains comics, sto ...

& Webb, 1955) ***

Intermediate musk turtle ''Sternotherus intermedius'' is a species of small turtle native to Alabama, United States. It is also known as the aliflora musk turtle or intermediate musk turtle due to its intermediate patterns on the Exoskeleton, shell. For a long time, it w ...

, ''S. intermedius'' Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017 ***

Loggerhead musk turtle The loggerhead musk turtle (''Sternotherus minor'') is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. This turtle has a large head which has a light-colored background with dark spots or stripes present on the head and neck. The average size of ...

, ''S. minor'' ( Agassiz, 1857) *** Common musk turtle or stinkpot, ''S. odoratus'' (Sonnini & Latreille, 1801) *** Stripeneck musk turtle, ''S. peltifer'' (Smith & Glass, 1947) * Subfamily Staurotypinae ** Genus ''

'' ***

Narrow-bridged musk turtle The narrow-bridged musk turtle (''Claudius angustatus'') is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is found in Central America and Mexico. Geographic range ''C. angustatus'' is found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Ta ...

, ''C. angustatus'' Cope, 1865 ** Genus '' Staurotypus'' ***

Giant musk turtle The giant musk turtle (''Staurotypus salvinii'') , also known commonly as the Chiapas giant musk turtle or the Mexican giant musk turtle , is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is found in Central America. Geographic r ...

, ''S. salvinii'' Gray, 1864 ***

Mexican musk turtle The Mexican musk turtle (''Staurotypus triporcatus''), also known commonly as the narrow-bridged musk turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species occurs in Central America and Mexico. Geographic range ''S. triporc ...

, ''S. triporcatus'' ( Wiegmann, 1828)

Additional images

References

Animal Diversity Web: Family Kinosternidae, by Keith Pecor
;Bibliography * {{Taxonbar , from=Q387150 Reptiles of North America Taxa named by Louis Agassiz Turtle families