Sternotherus carinatus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The razor-backed musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southern United States. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. The musk turtle is also known as the Mississippi musk turtle. It was first found in Alabama in 1994, but was mainly claimed in Mississippi, hence the second name.
S. carinatus is found in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. However, it is only found in certain parts of those states except Louisiana. It is found in southeastern Oklahoma, southern and eastern Texas, southern Arkansas, south-central Mississippi, and extreme southwestern Alabama.
The razor-backed musk turtle grows to a straight carapace length of about 15 cm (5.9 in). It has a brown-colored carapace, with black markings at the edges of each scute. The carapace has a distinct, sharp keel down the center of its length, giving the species its common name.
The body is typically grey-brown in color, with black spotting, as is the head, which tends to have a bulbous shape to it. It has a long neck, short legs, and a sharp... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baton Rouge Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | bioparco | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Gone Wild Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Downtown Aquarium, Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tennessee Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Reptile House | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Razor-backed Musk Turtle sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 33 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Razor-backed Musk Turtle in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Dallas's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 55 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Razor-backed Musk 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 Dallas, in our data
Dallas is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Razor-backed Musk 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 Razor-backed Musk Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Dallas (15 verified sightings), 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.
