Claudius angustatus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The narrow-bridged musk turtle (Claudius angustatus) is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is found in Central America and Mexico. C. angustatus is found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. As of 2010, C. angustatus is the only recognized extant species in the genus Claudius.
The narrow-bridged musk turtle is typically brown in color. The scutes of the carapace have lines and graining, imparting an almost wood-like appearance. It often has bright-yellow markings on the edges of the carapace. As it ages, algae often heavily cover the shell, masking the patterning and coloration. The head is large and bulbous for its size, with a sharp beak and a long neck. The jaw joint anatomy of the narrow-bridged musk turtle is unique among modern Cryptodira. In most cryptodires the jaw joint is formed by a biconcave facet. In the narrow-bridged musk turtle, the jaw joint of is formed by a broad hemispherical condyle, more akin to Pleurodira.
The carapace is domed, with three distinct ridges down the length. Though classified in the subfamily Staurotypinae with the "giant" musk turtles, the narrow-bridged musk turtle... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yumka' | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Monterey Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Parque Zoológico Miguel Ángel de Quevedo | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 46 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August and November–March, the lowest months. Those are among Calakmul Biosphere Reserve's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in our data
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Kinosternidae
The closest relatives of the Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (family Kinosternidae, American Mud and Musk Turtles) are Scorpion Mud Turtle (about 10%), White-lipped Mud Turtle (about 10%) and Tabasco Mud Turtle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (7 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.
