Loggerhead musk turtle: Difference between revisions

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The '''loggerhead musk turtle''' (''Sternotherus minor)'' is a [[species]] of [[turtle]] in the [[Family (biology)|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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=A.|first=Buhlmann, Kurt|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/263712429|title=Turtles of the southeast|date=2008|publisher=Univ. of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-2902-4|oclc=263712429}}</ref> The average size of a loggerhead musk turtle is about 3 to 5 inches in [[carapace]] length.<ref name=":0" /> There are two [[subspecies]] of ''Sternotherus minor'': ''Sternotherus minor minor'' (loggerhead musk turtle) and ''Sternotherus minor peltifer'' (stripe-necked musk turtle)''.''<ref name=":0" />

The species is native to the southern [[United States]], being found in [[river]]s, [[wetland]]s, and [[stream]]s in states such as [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], [[Tennessee]], [[Mississippi]], [[North Carolina]], and [[Virginia]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Dijk (N/A)|first=Peter Paul van|date=2010-08-01|title=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Sternotherus minor|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/en|journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{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> The diet of an adult loggerhead musk turtles consists mostly of [[clam]]s and [[snail]]s.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Pfaller|first=Joseph Bryce|date=2009|title=Bite-Force Generation and Feeding Biomechanics in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus Minor: Implications for the Ontogeny of Performance|url=https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A176434/|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|lastlast1=Cox|firstfirst1=William A.|last2=Wyatt|first2=Steven T.|last3=Wilhelm|first3=Walter E.|last4=Marion|first4=Ken R.|date=December 1988|title=Infection of the Turtle, Sternotherus minor, by the Lung Fluke, Heronimus mollis: Incidence of Infection and Correlations to Host Life History and Ecology in a Florida Spring|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564348|journal=Journal of Herpetology|volume=22|issue=4|pages=488|doi=10.2307/1564348|jstor=1564348|issn=0022-1511}}</ref>

Currently, the [[conservation status]] of the loggerhead musk turtle is [[Least-concern species|least concern]] and its common threats include [[Habitat destruction|habitat loss]] and human interactions such as car or boating accidents.<ref name=":2" />

== Description ==

The loggerhead musk turtle gets its [[common name]] from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (''[[Sternotherus odoratus]]'').<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Conant|first=Roger|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1423604|title=A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America|date=1975|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|others=Isabelle Hunt Conant|isbn=0-395-19979-4|edition=[2d ed.]|___location=Boston,|oclc=1423604}}</ref> Its head has a light colored background with dark spots/stripes. Hatchlings are about 1 inch in carapace length and grow up to around 3 to 5 inches by adulthood.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last=A.|first=Buhlmann, Kurt|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/263712429|title=Turtles of the southeast|date=2008|publisher=Univ. of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-2902-4|oclc=263712429}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|lastlast1=Conant|firstfirst1=Roger|title=A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America|last2=Collins|first2=Joseph T.|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=1998|isbn=978-0-395-90452-7}}</ref> As juveniles, these [[Turtle|turtles]] have three keels on their [[carapace]] that usually disappear by adulthood.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":12" /> The loggerhead musk turtle has [[Barbel (anatomy)|barbels]] present on the chin only, not on the throat.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":02" />

=== Subspecies ===

There are two [[subspecies]] of ''Sternotherus minor'': ''Sternotherus minor minor'' and ''Sternotherus minor peltifer'', also known as the loggerhead musk turtle and the stripe-necked musk turtle, respectively.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book|last=A.|first=Buhlmann, Kurt|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/263712429|title=Turtles of the southeast|date=2008|publisher=Univ. of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-2902-4|oclc=263712429}}</ref> The two subspecies are visibly different, with ''S. m. minor'' having a darker tan colored head covered with dark spots and three keels on its [[carapace]] and ''S. m. peltifer'' having a yellow colored head with some dark spots, but mostly dark stripes and a ridged carapace.<ref name=":03" /> ''S. m. minor'' are generally a little larger in size than ''S. m. peltifer'' ranging from 3 to 5.625 inches (7.5 to 14.5 cm) in carapace length, while ''S. m. peltifer'' range from 3 to 4.625 inches (7.5 to 11.7 cm).<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|lastlast1=Conant|firstfirst1=Roger|title=A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America|last2=Collins|first2=Joseph T.|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=1998|isbn=978-0-395-90452-7}}</ref>

[[File:Sternotherus_minor_peltifer_Jungtier_ca._2_Monate_alt_ventral.jpg|thumb|''Sternotherus minor peltifer''|center]]

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''Sternotherus minor'' is found in freshwaters throughout the southeast in states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. <ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Dijk (N/A)|first=Peter Paul van|date=2010-08-01|title=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Sternotherus minor|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/en|journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species}}</ref>

Distribution may vary depending on the subspecies. ''S. m. minor'' is generally found throughout Georgia and north Florida and can be found in rivers such as the [[Ogeechee River|Ogeechee]], [[Altamaha River|Altamaha]], and [[Apalachicola River|Apalachicola]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|lastlast1=Conant|firstfirst1=Roger|title=A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America|last2=Collins|first2=Joseph T.|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=1998|isbn=978-0-395-90452-7}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Iverson|first=John B.|date=1977-08-25|title=Geographic Variation in the Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1443269|journal=Copeia|volume=1977|issue=3|pages=502502–517|doi=10.2307/1443269|jstor=1443269|issn=0045-8511}}</ref> The ''S. m. peltifer'' is generally found throughout Alabama, east Mississippi, and east Tennessee and can be found in rivers such as the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] and [[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> They share parts of their range in west Georgia, southeast Alabama, and west Florida and can both be found in rivers such as the [[Choctawhatchee River|Choctawhatchee]] and [[Perdido River|Perdido]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" />[[File:Sternothernus minor.jpg|thumb|Closeup of head of an adult ''Sternotherus minor''|center]]

==Habitat==

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== Diet ==

The diet of the loggerhead musk turtle changes as it grows. Younger turtles have a more varied diet, eating [[Insect|insects]], [[Snail|snails]], [[crayfish]], and [[Clam|clams]] while adults eat mostly [[Snail|snails]] and [[Clam|clams]] since adults are larger.<ref name=":72">{{Cite journal|last=Pfaller|first=Joseph Bryce|date=2009|title=Bite-Force Generation and Feeding Biomechanics in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus Minor: Implications for the Ontogeny of Performance|url=https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A176434/|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite journal|lastlast1=Cox|firstfirst1=William A.|last2=Wyatt|first2=Steven T.|last3=Wilhelm|first3=Walter E.|last4=Marion|first4=Ken R.|date=1988|title=Infection of the Turtle, Sternotherus minor, by the Lung Fluke, Heronimus mollis: Incidence of Infection and Correlations to Host Life History and Ecology in a Florida Spring|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564348|journal=Journal of Herpetology|volume=22|issue=4|pages=488|doi=10.2307/1564348|jstor=1564348|issn=0022-1511}}</ref>

[[File:Freshwater_snail_(19512479744).jpg|center|thumb|Freshwater snail]]

Loggerhead musk turtles forage in [[Stream|streams]] with sandy or vegetated bottoms with varying speeds of currents.<ref name=":32" /> They spend most of their time in the water with less time spent basking out in the sun as is observed in other species.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|lastlast1=Cox|firstfirst1=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=20-3320–33|via=JSTOR}}</ref>

==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|lastlast1=Cox|firstfirst1=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=20-3320–33|via=JSTOR}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|lastlast1=Cox|firstfirst1=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|jstor=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" />

==== 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|lastlast1=Bels|firstfirst1=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|jstor=1447183|issn=0045-8511}}</ref>

== Conservation and Threats ==