Reptiles

Mud Turtle

Kinosternon · also called mud turtles

Least Concern → omnivorecarnivore Rivers & wetlands Temperate grassland

A mud turtle is the musk turtle’s better-armoured cousin: small, dark, and unassuming, but built with a double-hinged lower shell that lets it seal up far more completely when trouble comes. It lives in ponds that are not guaranteed to last, and when one dries up, the turtle simply walks to find another, or burrows in and waits.

Overview

Mud turtles are the genus Kinosternon, about 25 species of small (7–12 cm), shy freshwater turtles from the central United States through Mexico and Central America into northern South America. They forage along the bottom of shallow water for insects, worms, snails, and carrion, and favour temporary and disturbed wetlands as readily as permanent ones.

The shell that shuts

A mud turtle’s plastron has two hinges, front and back, letting it draw up both flaps and close the shell almost completely — much better protection than the musk turtle’s single weak hinge, though the two families share a similar musky defence when handled.

Living with a pond that disappears

When its shallow pond dries, a mud turtle either walks overland to find new water or burrows into the mud and goes dormant until conditions improve — a flexibility that lets it colonise habitats too unreliable for most aquatic turtles.

Status

Least Concern overall and tolerant of a wide range of wetlands. Some populations have declined with prairie pond drainage, and the desert-spring-restricted Sonoyta mud turtle of the Mexico–Arizona border is Endangered.

Mud Turtle: common questions

What is the difference between a mud turtle and a musk turtle?

They are close relatives in the same family, Kinosternidae, and look broadly similar, small, dark, bottom-walking turtles of still water, but the clearest difference is in the underside of the shell. A mud turtle has a plastron with two separate hinges, at the front and the back, that let it draw both ends up and close the shell almost completely, offering good protection. A musk turtle has a much smaller plastron with at most one weak hinge and cannot close up in the same way. Musk turtles also tend to have a taller, more domed shell and stronger musk glands, while mud turtles are generally flatter and a little less pungent when disturbed.

What happens when a mud turtle's pond dries up?

Because many mud turtles live in shallow, temporary water that is not guaranteed to last, they have two main options when a pond dries. One is to travel overland, sometimes for a surprising distance, in search of another pond, ditch, or wet area, moving mostly at night or in cool, damp conditions to avoid drying out themselves. The other is to burrow into the soft mud or soil at the bottom of the drying pond, or nearby, and enter a dormant state, effectively waiting out the dry spell underground until rain refills the habitat or conditions improve.

Do mud turtles bite or musk when handled?

Yes to both, though generally more mildly than a musk turtle. A handled mud turtle will often try to withdraw into its shell, taking advantage of its double hinge to seal up more completely than a musk turtle can, and if further disturbed it may extend its neck to bite, since like other mud and musk turtles it has a flexible neck that can reach around toward the rear of its own shell. It can also release a musky secretion from glands near the shell edge, though this is usually described as less strong and less readily produced than the reaction of the more famously smelly musk turtle.

Are mud turtles good pets?

They can be kept successfully by turtle keepers who understand their needs, being small, interesting to watch, and fully aquatic to semi-aquatic depending on the species, but they are not an ideal casual or child's pet. They need a properly set up aquarium or outdoor pond with clean water, a basking area, and appropriate temperature and lighting, they can bite and musk if handled roughly, and depending on the species they can live for several decades, which is a long-term commitment. As with other small, less commonly bred turtles, buyers should seek captive-bred stock and check local rules, since a few mud turtle species and populations are protected.

Sources & further reading

Written by HideShark Editorial Team · reviewed by HideShark Science Desk. Published September 11, 2026. Last updated September 11, 2026.

Quick facts

Scientific name: Kinosternon
Diet: An opportunistic omnivore taking aquatic insects and their larvae, worms, snails, small crustaceans, tadpoles, small fish, and carrion, along with algae and aquatic plants, foraging by walking along the bottom of shallow water and probing mud and vegetation rather than actively chasing prey
A shell that closes almost shut: Unlike its close relative the musk turtle, a mud turtle has a plastron, or lower shell, with two movable hinges, front and back, that let the turtle draw the front and rear flaps up to seal much of the opening, offering far better protection from predators than the musk turtle's single weak hinge
A pond that can dry up: Many mud turtles live in shallow, temporary, or seasonal water such as ephemeral ponds, ditches, and flooded fields, and when their pond dries they will travel overland, sometimes a considerable distance, to find another body of water or will burrow into mud or soil and wait out the dry period in a dormant state
Small and unobtrusive: Mud turtles are among the smallest turtles in North America, with most species reaching only about 7 to 12 centimetres of shell length, an olive, brown, or blackish colour with little pattern, and a generally shy, secretive habit of staying hidden in mud, debris, or shallow water rather than basking in the open
About 25 species: The genus Kinosternon contains roughly 25 species distributed from the eastern and central United States down through Mexico and Central America into northern South America, occupying an unusually broad range of habitats from permanent ponds to seasonally dry scrubland pools
A musky defence, milder than its cousin: Like musk turtles, mud turtles have scent glands that release a musky odour when the animal is disturbed, though generally regarded as less pungent and less readily deployed than the musk turtle's, and a handled mud turtle relies more on withdrawing into its nearly sealed shell than on smell alone
Slow to mature, several clutches a year: A mud turtle typically takes several years to reach breeding age and lays small clutches of just one to six eggs, but a female may lay more than one clutch across a single breeding season, spreading her reproductive effort out rather than committing it all to one attempt
Range: The central and eastern United States south through Mexico and Central America into northern South America, in shallow, still, or slow-moving fresh water including ponds, marshes, ditches, swamps, seasonal pools, and slow streams, tolerating brackish water in some coastal populations, and often found in temporary water that dries up for part of the year.
Conservation status: Least Concern → ≈ Most mud turtles are common within their range and tolerant of a variety of wetland conditions, including temporary and disturbed water, and the genus as a whole is not of major conservation concern, though individual species vary. Some, such as the yellow mud turtle in parts of its range, have declined with the drainage of prairie wetlands and small ponds for agriculture, and the flattened musk-like Sonoyta mud turtle of the Mexico-Arizona border is highly restricted and considered Endangered, dependent on a single small desert spring system. Road mortality during overland movement between drying ponds and collection for the pet trade are additional pressures on some populations in the wild