The eastern musk turtle is a listed species in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). Find detailed information on the eastern musk turtle, its threats, and what Massachusetts is doing to conserve this animal in its official factsheet.
Fast facts
Common name: musk turtles
Scientific name: Sternotherus odoratus
Range in MA: low-elevations of Massachusetts
Conservation status: Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
Fun fact: Some people call eastern musk turtles 'stinkpots'!
Similar-looking species: young painted turtles
Identification tip: Eastern musk turtles have two stripes on the side of their head
Description
The eastern musk turtle is a small freshwater turtle species, averaging 5-12 cm (2-5 in) in carapace (upper shell) length. This species has a smooth, domed, tan, dark brown, or gray carapace that often has an irregular pattern of yellow/brown flecks or streaks on each scute (keratinous plates that form the shell), commonly covered by algae. Their plastron (underside of the shell) is small and cross-shaped with a movable plastron. The plastron is pale pink to brown in color, and the surrounding exposed underbelly skin between the scutes is white to yellowish, or pinkish in some individuals. The eastern musk turtle has gray-to-blackish colored skin, and their face and neck are tan to black, with stripes of white or yellow along with occasional spots on their lower neck and legs and heavily webbed feet. Two distinct yellow-to-white stripes are on each side of their head, one running above the eye and one below, both meeting at their pointed, triangular-shaped snout. They also sport a stripe on each side of their lower jaw and have a pair of barbels on their chin and tubercles on their throat when fully outstretched. In older individuals, these markings can be faint or obscured. Both sexes possess musk glands at the margins of their plastron that emit a malodorous secretion when disturbed, giving them the local nickname “stinkpot.”
Eastern musk turtle hatchlings emerge from their eggs around 18 mm (0.7 in) in carapace length and appear very similar to adults outside of a few key characteristics. They have multiple keels or ridges that run along the midline of their carapace, and their vertebral (spine) scutes do not overlap like roofing slates. Hatchlings also feature yellow or white spots on the posterior half of each marginal scute, along with more distinct head markings than adults.