The peninsula cooter (''Pseudemys peninsularis'') 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 freshwater turtle in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Pseudemys ''Pseudemys'' is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States and adjacent northeast Mexico. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from ''kuta'', the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké lang ...

''. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the

coastal plain cooter The coastal plain cooter (''Pseudemys floridana'') or Florida cooter is a species of large herbivorous freshwater turtle in the genus ''Pseudemys''. Biology The species is found within the southeastern coastal plain of the United States, from ex ...

(''P. floridana'') when that turtle is not itself considered a subspecies of the

river cooter The river cooter (''Pseudemys concinna'') is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States, but has been introduced into parts of California, Washington, and British Columbia ...

(''P. concinna'').

Description

The peninsula cooter is an average sized member of the family

Emydidae Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...

, typically reaching carapace lengths of 9-13 in (23-33 cm) and weights of 5-15 lbs (2.27-6.8 kg). However, they are capable of surpassing 16” (40.64cm) and 35 pounds (15.876 kg). Peninsula cooters can be distinguished from the Florida red-bellied cooter (''

Pseudemys nelsoni The Florida red-bellied cooter or Florida redbelly turtle (''Pseudemys nelsoni'') is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. Etymology The specific name, ''nelsoni'', is in honor of American biologist George Nelson (born 1873). Geographic ...

'') by their lack of a reddish plastron and the presence of dozens of yellow stripes on their carapace, limbs, head, and tail. Males can be distinguished from females by not only their smaller size, but their greatly elongated front claws. These claws are used to stimulate the female prior to mating.

Distribution

The species is widespread in peninsular Florida. It can be found in rivers, ponds, and lakes.

References

;Bibliography * Pseudemys Reptiles described in 1938 {{Turtle-stub