Kinosternon steindachneri
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Florida mud turtle (Kinosternon steindachneri) is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States. This species of turtle is extremely rare compared to others.
Although originally described as a species, K. steindachneri was long considered a subspecies of the eastern mud turtle (K. subrubum), but a 2013 analysis found there to be no data supporting this classification, and supported its recognition as its own distinct species.
K. steindachneri is found in peninsular Florida. Its type locality is near Orlando. The specific name, steindachneri, is in honor of Austrian herpetologist Franz Steindachner. Carr A (1940). "A Contribution to the Herpetology of Florida". University of Florida Publication, Biological Science Series 3 (1): 1–118. (Kinosternon subrubrum steindachneri, new status).
Powell R, Conant R, 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 color plates, 207 figures. ISBN... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Mud Turtle sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Mud Turtle in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–May, August and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 40 mm in March.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida Mud Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Big Cypress National Preserve, in our data
Big Cypress National Preserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Florida Mud Turtle sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Florida Mud Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
