The Mississippi Map Turtle is a sub-species of False Map Turtle that is native to parts of the Central United States.
This turtle is often kept as pets as they thrive in captivity when given the correct level of care. Their stunning appearance increases their appeal.
They are a small to medium sized Turtle that can reach lengths of up to 10 inches, with females being larger than males.
Mississippi Map Turtle Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Mississippi Map Turtle belongs to the Emydidae family of turtles. This is a family that contains 10 different genera and almost 50 different species of turtle.
Some of the Asian Box Turtles were once classified as part of this family but have since been reclassified. This includes species such as the Asian Box Turtle and the Chinese Box Turtle.
The species in this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or marsh turtles.
Genus
The genus that Mississippi Map Turtle belongs to is called Graptemys. This genus contains 14 different species of turtle.
All of these turtles are freshwater species that spend most of their time in rivers, streams, ponds, swamps and other sources of fresh water.
For most of the species in this genus, the females grow much larger, sometimes reaching as much as twice the size of a male.
Some of the other species in this genus include the Alabama Map Turtle and the Texas Map Turtle.
Species
The Mississippi Map Turtle is a sub-species of False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica). There are only two sub-species of False Map Turtle.
The nominate sub-species is just called the False Map Turtle and has the scientific name Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica.
The other sub-species is of course the Mississippi Map Turtle which has the scientific name Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii.
The False Map Turtle was first described in 1831 by a British Zoologist named John Edward Gray.
The Mississippi Map Turtle wasn’t described until 1890 by a German palaeontologist named Georg Baur.
However, the Mississippi Map Turtle was originally considered a full species in itself. It moved around different genera and wasn’t considered a sub-species of False Map Turtle until 1917.
Mississippi Map Turtle Description
The Mississippi Map Turtle is a small to medium sized turtle with females typically growing much larger than males.
A female can reach anywhere from 6-10 inches in length while males typically only grow to around 4-5 inches.
The carapace of the turtle is usually brown in color with black markings running along the edges of each schute.
The shell is sloped with a ridge extending through the middle of the shell. The scales on the top of this Ridge are heavily keeled.
The marginal scales on the back of the carapace have an irregular shape which gives the back of the shell a serrated appearance.
They have a dark-colored head, which can appear dark brown or very dark green. It has bright yellow stripes extending outwards from the turtle’s eyes.
They have a crescent-shaped yellow mark behind its eyes which can help distinguish it from other turtles in its range.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
Despite its name, the Mississippi Map Turtle has a much more extensive range than just the state of Mississippi.
It gets its name because it is predominantly found throughout much of the Mississippi River and its tributaries as opposed to only being found in the State itself.
This turtle can actually be found throughout a number of States in the South and Central United States.
It can be found as far North as places like Illinois. It’s range then extends Southwards through places like Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee.
It can also be found in Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and a large part of Eastern Texas.
These turtles like to live in freshwater where they can be found I’m places such as rivers, streams and lakes.
Mississippi Map Turtle Behaviour
The Mississippi Map Turtle is an aquatic species of turtle that spends the vast majority of its time in the water.
They will however, leave the water on occasion to bask on the bank of the river. They will also leave the water to lay their eggs and to find new sources of water.
These turtles feed on a variety of different insects and larvae that enters the water. They will also eat things like molluscs and some kinds of aquatic vegetation.
They are even known to feed on carrion, which is the decaying flesh of dead animals.