Kinosternon scorpioides
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The scorpion mud turtle or Tabasco mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America. The scorpion mud turtle is a medium to large kinosternid (mud turtle) with a domed, oval upper shell 92–270 mm (3.6–10.6 in) long. Males regularly exceed 200 mm. The scorpion mud turtle is a highly aquatic, adaptable kinosternid that will live in almost any body of water.
It is primarily omnicarnivorous, a glutton, and feeds on a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates (such as insects and their larvae, spiders, shrimp, crabs, snails and worms) and vertebrates (such as fish and frogs), as well as carrion and bird eggshells.
It also feeds on plant material such as algae, fruits, flowers, nuts, seeds and aquatic plants. In captivity, poorly fed K. scorpioides can be cannibalistic, biting off the toes and limbs of conspecifics. Females probably lay 1 to 6 hard-shelled eggs. Like many kinosternids, they probably construct a shallow terrestrial nest with little cover. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parque Zoológico Caricuao | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 3 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Ecopark | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Zoologico Pantin | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 6 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Projeto TAMAR | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
No species of the same family or order lives in Parque Natural Metropolitano, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scorpion Mud Turtle sighting in Parque Natural Metropolitano on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 29 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, June–July and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scorpion Mud Turtle in Parque Natural Metropolitano on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May and August–September, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scorpion Mud Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Scorpion Mud Turtle sightings, Parque Natural Metropolitano ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 30%), Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scorpion Mud Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Parque Natural Metropolitano (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.
