False Map Turtle

About the False Map Turtle

The false map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) is a species of turtle endemic to the United States. It is a common pet species. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies described here. Nominotypical subspecies: G. p. pseudogeographica (Gray, 1831) – False map turtle

G. p. kohnii (Baur, 1890) – Kohn's map turtle, Mississippi map turtle The false map turtle lives in large streams of the Missouri and Mississippi River systems, ranging from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, through the Dakotas southward to southwestern Alabama, southern and western Mississippi, and Louisiana. The false map turtle also lives in several other river systems of Southwest Louisiana and East Texas.

Also known as a "sawback" turtle, the turtle has a carapace featuring a vertebral row of low spines, and is serrated on the posterior rim. The carapace is olive to brown in color with light yellowish markings with dark borders, often with a dark mark on each scute. The plastron color varies from cream to yellow and is patterned with dark lines along the seams in juveniles. The body color of the false map turtle is grayish... Wikipedia →