Ouachita Map Turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis)
Description: This species' carapace features a row of low vertebral spines, and is serrated on the posterior rim. The carapace is olive, dark brown, or black in coloration with light yellowish markings with dark borders. The plastron color varies from cream to yellow and is patterned with dark lines and swirls. The body color is grayish brown to blackish and is marked with yellowish stripes.
On the head, it has light yellow spots: a rectangular one behind each eye, an oval under each eye, and a round one on each side of the jaw. In some specimens, the spot behind and the spot under the eye can combine to form a single thick "C" stain. The eye has a black stripe in the middle.
Males are significantly smaller than females. The males can grow to be as large as 5 inchs in carapace length. The females can grow to be up to 10 inchs in carapace length.
Habitat: Mainly riverine (also in impoundments), usually in areas with submerged aquatic vegetation. In Kansas, occurred in rivers with abundant basking sites and was associated with various kinds of substrates. Inactive on bottom of river at night. Hibernates underwater behind logs, rocks, and wing dams. Nests in sandbars and beaches within 100 m of water
Range: Mississippi and St. Croix rivers in Minnesota and Wisconsin south in the Mississippi River basin through Louisiana, as far west as eastern Kansas (disjunct populations in central Kansas) and Lake Texoma, Oklahoma (Red River) and east into Indiana, Ohio (disjunct), and Kentucky (record for West Virginia needs to be confirmed).
Diet: Ouachita map turtles feed mainly on small aquatic animals such as shrimp, insects, molluscs, and fish. They also consume algae and aquatic plants.
Reproduction: Wisconsin: eggs laid late May to July, usually 2 clutches per year; hatchlings from early clutches emerge late August to early September, those from late clutches emerge in spring
Status: Considering the riverine and riparian habitat, it is unlikely that effective protection exists in most parts of the range. Most occurrences are vulnerable to detrimental impacts of human activities.
Many die in nets of commercial fisheries. These tend to be discarded, but in some areas the turtles occasionally are consumed by humans. These colorful turtles sometimes are collected for the pet trade. Generally tolerant of periodic nondestructive intrusion, but frequent human activity in the habitat could interefere with nesting and normal basking behavior.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
»» Order: Testudines - Turtles & Tortoises
»» Family: Emydidae - Pond, Marsh, & Box Turtles
»» Genus: Graptemys
»» Species: Graptemys ouachitensis - Ouachita Map Turtle
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ouachita Map Turtle", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.
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