- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold eastern mud turtle, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the eastern mud turtle
The eastern mud turtle is a small freshwater turtle endemic to the United States, found in rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches and swamps, especially ponds with plenty of vegetation. The carapace is only 7.6-10.2 cm long, keelless and unpatterned, ranging from yellowish to black, and the large plastron is double hinged. It is omnivorous, eating insects, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, carrion and aquatic plants. It rarely basks and hibernates by burrowing into mud or leaf litter. It tolerates brackish water, so it can turn up near salt marshes and on coastal islands.
Eastern Mud Turtle facts
- The species name subrubrum means under red, for the red-orange plastron of hatchlings.
- Females nest during rainstorms and wait for another rainstorm before returning to their usual habitat.
- Home ranges vary from as little as 0.05 ha to 69.5 ha.
- Hatchlings have a carapace wider than the egg they hatched from, which unfolds immediately.
Where to see eastern mud turtle in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding eastern mud turtle by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Connecticut· 1
Kansas· 1
Louisiana· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
