Kinosternon subrubrum
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum) or common mud turtle is a common species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the United States. There are two recognized subspecies. The eastern mud turtle is a small and often hard to identify species. It measures 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm) in carapace length. The carapace is keelless, lacks any pattern, and varies in color from yellowish to black. The plastron is large and double hinged, and can be yellowish to brown, and may sometimes have a dark pattern. The chin and throat are a yellowish grey, streaked and mottled with brown, while the limbs and tail are grayish. The eye, or iris, of the eastern mud turtle is yellow with dark clouding, and its feet are webbed.
The specific name, subrubrum, meaning "under red", refers to the red-orange plastron of hatchlings. The eastern mud turtle is omnivorous and feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, carrion, and aquatic vegetation. Smaller eastern mud turtles prey on small aquatic insects, algae, and carrion, whereas larger ones can feed on any type of food that they can fit in their mouth.
Eastern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Western North Carolina Nature Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Elmwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Texas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Edisto Island Serpentarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Medicine Park Aquarium & Natural Sciences Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Mud Turtle sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 22 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Mud Turtle in Congaree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Mud Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Congaree National Park, in our data
Congaree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eastern Mud Turtle sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Mud Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Congaree National Park (30 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.
