River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassTestudines
- FamilyEmydidae (Pond and Box Turtles)
- GenusPseudemys (Cooters)
- SpeciesPseudemys concinna (River Cooter)
About the River Cooter
The river cooter (Pseudemys concinna) is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States, but has been introduced into parts of California, Washington, and British Columbia.
Pseudemys concinna is found from Virginia south to central Georgia, west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and north to southern Indiana. There are also isolated populations found in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and north-central Tennessee.
Pseudemys concinna is usually found in shallow rivers with moderate to slow currents, as well as lakes, tidal marshes and riverine floodplains with heavy vegetation and abundant basking surfaces. There are two subspecies which are recognized as being valid.
Pseudemys concinna concinna (LeConte, 1830) – eastern river cooter Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis Carr, 1937 – Suwannee cooter – sometimes regarded as a separate species, P. suwanniensis Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pseudemys.
The coastal plain cooter or Florida cooter (P. floridana) was formerly considered... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Florida Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys nelsoni
Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
Western Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata
Ouachita Map Turtle
Graptemys ouachitensis
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
Baja California Slider
Trachemys nebulosa
Three-toed Box Turtle
Terrapene triunguis
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a River Cooter in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a River Cooter sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see River Cooter in Saguaro National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for River Cooter in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.