Loggerhead musk turtle: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:19, 3 December 2021

Revision as of 18:19, 3 December 2021

Line 53:

==Reproduction==

''S. minor'' is [[Oviparity|oviparous]].<ref name=":83">{{Cite book|last=Powell|first=Robert|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/913923783|title=Peterson field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central North America|date=2016|others=Roger Conant, Joseph T. Collins, Isabelle Hunt Conant, Tom R. Johnson, Errol D. Hooper, Travis William Taggart|isbn=978-0-544-12997-9|edition=Fourth|___location=Boston|oclc=913923783}}</ref> Between August and June, females can lay up to five [[Clutch (eggs)|clutches]] with one to four eggs per clutch.<ref name=":92">{{Cite journal|last=Cox|first=William A.|last2=Marion|first2=Ken R.|date=1978|title=Observations on the female reproductive cycle and associated phenomena in spring-dwelling populations of Sternotherus minor in North Florida (Reptilia: Testudines)|journal=Herpetologica|pages=20-33|via=JSTOR}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Cox|first=William A.|last2=Nowak|first2=Martin C.|last3=Marion|first3=Ken R.|date=1980-06-06|title=Observations on Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1563862|journal=Journal of Herpetology|volume=14|issue=2|pages=200|doi=10.2307/1563862|issn=0022-1511}}</ref> Larger females tend to have larger eggs and more eggs per clutch.<ref name=":92" /> Females lay their eggs in 8 to 15 cm holes on the shore.<ref name=":92" /> Hatchlings typically have a carapace length of 2.47 cm.<ref name=":92" />

''S. minor'' is [[Oviparity|oviparous]]. Hatchlings have a straight carapace length of {{convert|2.2|–|2.8|cm|in|abbr=on}}. They have three prominent keels on the carapace, and they have a pinkish unmarked [[plastron]].<ref name="Powell">[[Robert Powell (herpetologist)|Powell R]], [[Roger Conant (herpetologist)|Conant R]], [[Joseph T. Collins|Collins JT]] (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. {{ISBN|978-0-544-12997-9}}. (''Sternotherus minor'', pp. 227-228, Figure 104 + Plates 19, 21 + photo on p. ix).</ref>

==== Mating Behavior ====

In the wild, [[mating]] takes place [[Underwater environment|underwater]] in shaded areas.<ref name=":4" /> Males exhibit several different behaviors during the mating process including: [[Cloaca|cloacal]] sniffing, bridge sniffing, mounting, following the female, biting, moving the head from one side to another, and interlocking of tails.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal|last=Bels|first=Vincent L.|last2=Crama|first2=Yves J.-M.|date=1994-08-17|title=Quantitative Analysis of the Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle Sternotherus minor (Reptilia: Kinosternidae) with Comments on Courtship Behavior in Turtles|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1447183|journal=Copeia|volume=1994|issue=3|pages=676|doi=10.2307/1447183|issn=0045-8511}}</ref>

==References==