Peninsular Cooter

Peninsular Cooter

Pseudemys peninsularis

Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days ~10%

11 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
399 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Peninsular Cooter

The peninsula cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis), sometimes referred to as the peninsular cooter, is a species of freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the coastal plain cooter (P. floridana) when that turtle is not itself considered a subspecies of the river cooter (P. concinna).

The peninsula cooter is an average sized member of the family Emydidae, typically reaching carapace lengths of 9-13 in (23–33 cm) and weights of 5-15 lbs (2.27-6.8 kg). However, they are capable of surpassing 16" (40.64 cm) and 35 pounds (15.876 kg). Peninsula cooters can be distinguished from the Florida red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni) by their lack of a reddish plastron and the presence of dozens of yellow stripes on their carapace, limbs, head, and tail. Males can be distinguished from females by not only their smaller size, but their greatly elongated front claws. These claws are used to stimulate the female prior to mating.

The species is widespread in peninsular Florida. It can be found in rivers, ponds, and lakes. Bibliography Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
~10%
4 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
5 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Disney's Animal Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Busch Gardens Tampa 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Jungle Adventures 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Animal - Bird Collection 🇬🇷 Greece In captivity
6 Castellar Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
7 Florida Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Mote SEA 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Aquário Vasco da Gama 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
11 Tennessee Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Key West Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
14 Reptile World Serpentarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Peninsular Cooter in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Peninsular Cooter sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 30th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Peninsular Cooter in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Peninsular Cooter in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Peninsular Cooter?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Peninsular Cooter sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Peninsular Cooter?

5th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Peninsular Cooter sightings, Los Angeles ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Orlando (United States, about 20%), Miami (United States, about 10%) and Seoul (South Korea, about 10%).

Where does the Peninsular Cooter sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Peninsular Cooter is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Los Angeles (11 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.

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