Kinosternon acutum
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Tabasco mud turtle (Kinosternon acutum), commonly known as pochitoque in Tabasco, Mexico, is a small turtle which belongs to the family Kinosternidae. It can be found in central Veracruz, Tabasco, northern Guatemala and Belize. This turtle lives in small streams, marshes and ponds. Its feeding habits are mainly carnivorous and it is a nocturnal animal. Although this turtle doesn't have a wide range it can be common at some sites. In Tabasco this turtle is an important part of its popular culture as well as being an ingredient in Tabasco's gastronomy in spite of its special protected status.
In this south Mexican state this turtle has a significant importance. Since ancient time Chontales have used it as an ingredient in their traditional kitchen so next to other turtle species (jicotea and mojina), pochitoque has a huge demand among people of these Chontal communities as well as in restaurants of typical food. Pochitoque is roasted and then is eaten as a green soup with rice, this is called "pochitoque en verde".
The pochitoque is a main character in some Chontal legends. Among Chontal people, it is said that if a crocodile eats a pochitoque... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tabasco Mud Turtle sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 46 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tabasco Mud Turtle in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May, September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tabasco 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 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in our data
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Tabasco Mud Turtle sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Kinosternon
The closest relatives of the Tabasco Mud Turtle that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (genus Kinosternon, Mud Turtles) are Scorpion Mud Turtle (about 10%), White-lipped Mud Turtle (about 10%) and Creaser's Mud Turtle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tabasco Mud Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (12 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.
