White-lipped Mud Turtle

White-lipped Mud Turtle

Kinosternon leucostomum

Silhouette: Emmanuel Jimenez · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Pico Bonito National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

5 Verified sightings at Pico Bonito National Park From 2019 to 2026
175 In all 13 parks
October Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the White-lipped Mud Turtle

The white-lipped mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Central America and northwestern South America. The synonym, Cinosternon spurrelli Boulenger, 1913, which is a synonym of Kinosternon leucostomum postinguinale, was named in honor of British zoologist Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell.

Kinosternon leucostomum is found in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Kinosternon.

Boulenger GA (1889). Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I-III. (Cinosternon leucostomum, pp. 42–43).

Duméril AMC, Bibron... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~40%
2 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
3 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
5 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
7 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ecomuseum Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
2 Zoo Atlanta 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Parque de la Conservación 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
4 Parque museo La Venta 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
5 Aquarium of Veracruz 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
6 Zoo Samara 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
7 Aquarium River of Zaragoza 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
8 Acuario Inbursa 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity

Closest Relatives at Pico Bonito National Park

No species of the same family or order lives in Pico Bonito National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-lipped Mud Turtle in Pico Bonito National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-lipped Mud Turtle sighting in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 21 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.

When is the best time to see a White-lipped Mud Turtle in Pico Bonito National Park?

October

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-lipped Mud Turtle in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Pico Bonito National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 80 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a White-lipped Mud Turtle?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-lipped Mud Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Pico Bonito National Park the best place to see a White-lipped Mud Turtle?

2nd of 13

Of the 13 parks where we can rate White-lipped Mud Turtle sightings, Pico Bonito National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Where does the White-lipped Mud Turtle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-lipped Mud Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Pico Bonito National Park (5 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.

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