The upper part of the shell is covered with a red or orange pattern that resembles hieroglyphs, hence the name Hieroglyphic River Cooter. It breeds across Canada from Coast to Coast and in the winter returns to most forested areas west of the Rocky Mountains. But in general they prefer waters that have a soft bottoms, like mud or sand. Reproduction: The nesting period starts in May and ends in July. Where it lives: The alligator snapping turtle can usually be found  at the bottom of rivers, lakes, sloughs, swamps and bayous. The skin is usually covered with yellow stripes. I've been a turtle and tortoise owner for 10 years, during which I gained a lot of experience and information, and now I want to share them with everybody that is curious or it's looking for help. The lower side of the shell is usually red and has a has one or multiple dark markings in the center. Turtles can do a lot of good things to an area, they can keep certain insect populations under control, they can eat the overwhelming vegetation, of a lake, that got out of control, and there are a lot of other beneficial things that they can do. Where it lives: They are often found in slow-moving streams, creeks, lakes, ponds and marshes with a fresh and warm water supply. It is best to grab the snapping turtle by its hind legs (one in each hand) and use them as handles. Reproduction: The nesting season usually starts in March and ends in June. Diet: They are omnivorous, this means that they eat both meat and plants. With so many options, choosing a pet turtle can be overwhelming. Painted turtles nest up to three times a year between mid-May and July, The scientific name of this turtle is Terrapene Carolina Carolina. The skin is usually dark brown or yellow, with the exception of the neck which is yellow. How long it can live: Between 30 and 50 years. You have to remember that most wild animals can carry bacteria, and since turtles spend a lot of time in water those bacteria can be a little more dangerous. If during a cold season you find a turtle that is hibernating, usually the best thing that you can do is to leave it to hibernate peacefully. So they can be usually seen in rivers, slow moving streams, lakes and ponds. So if you touch a turtle make sure that you have some wet wipes near you, if you don’t you should probably avoid touching it. Reproduction: Nesting occurs from late May until the middle of July, and the incubation period lasts between 70 and 90 days. If a turtle must be moved, there are several steps that you should take to minimize impacts on the turtle. The lower part of the shell is usually yellow with a multitude of black patterns. One female can have up to 25 offspring in a single year. For example the plastic in the water is greatly impacting sea turtles in a negative way. Description: The Midland Painted Turtle have a dark colored skin and shell, ranging in color from dark brown to black. We are a passionate group of writers and researchers who write about pet turtles and turtles in general. Several types of musk turtles make excellent pets, but the razorback musk turtle is the most popular. How long it can live: Between 30 and 70 years. Razorback Musk Turtles. On the upper part of the shell they also have a small vertebral keel. THe lower part of the shell is usually yellow, orange or red with a black pattern. Illinois has its own set of laws that are different from any other state. Where it lives: They can be found in most water bodies, but they show a preference towards areas with a sandy or muddy substrate. To prevent this make sure that you don’t let it too close to your toes (if they are exposed), or to your fingers. Illinois State Laws Regarding Turtles. The Illinois Herp Code regulates the keeping of venomous snakes or boas and pythons in captivity. Where it lives: All Painted turtles subspecies prefer to live in freshwater, and they can be usually found in slow moving rivers, ponds, and lakes. Turtles don’t have a strong natural smell. They generally do this because during cold seasons there is little to no food available to them, and because there is no heat to allow them to heat up their body ( turtles are unable to produce their own body heat). If you want to pick up a turtle you should catch it by the sides and keep your hands above or below it, never in front of its mouth. It is important to get the turtle back in the wild as soon as possible. Diet: They are omnivorous, this means that their diet is made out of a variety of things like: meat, fish, insects, snails, fruits, vegetables, and aquatic vegetation. Your email address will not be published. Scientific Name: Chelonia mydas. On the one hand, the thirty eight species recorded in the state puts it at the above average range for snake diversity. Diet: Smooth softshell turtles are omnivores, but they definitely prefer meat over plants, so in general they will consume meat, insects, snails, and fish, and occasionally they will eat some fruits, vegetables and other kinds of vegetation. The conservation status of a species shows how close a species is to extinction. Green turtles are also known as the Green sea turtle, while their scientific name is Chelonia mydas. They can be usually be found across throughout open woodlands as well as grasslands and meadows. Reproduction: Nesting season is May to July. The incubation period for the eggs is between 70 and 80 days. On average the incubation period for the eggs lasts between 80 and 90 days. If the rescuer cannot find water nearby, and the female turtle has released water, the turtle should be placed in a container of shallow water for a couple of hours before being released. This article should cover every basic thing about the native turtles of Illinois. Incubation usually lasts between 70 and 100 days. All State Reptiles An election for favorite state reptile was conducted on the Internet in 2004 (other candidates considered were the eastern box turtle and the common garter snake ). The whole process takes one-two months. The skin is usually dark brown or black with yellow, orange or red lines. Snapping turtles can be dangerous for an inexperienced person to handle. They were commonly used for making turtle soup in Singapore and the U.S, and were nearly hunted down to extinction in many regions of the world. The color of the skin is usually the same color as the upper part of the shell. Description: Hieroglyphic River Cooter usually range in color from green-brown to black. Baby slider turtles for sale are cheap, easy to care for, and quite inquisitive. How big it can get: Most Painted turtles reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches. With this system species are classified  into nine groups set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. turtles have a depressed, smooth shell with brightly colored patterns on the lower shell. Description: Like most box turtles, the Ornate Box Turtle has a very dome like shaped shell, that can range in color from brown to black, and it’s usually covered with a multitude of lines and spots that can range in color from yellow to orange. Most Commonly-seen Freshwater Turtles in California There are very few species of turtles found in California, so if you see one at the edge of a pond or stream in the majority of the state, it is almost always one of the following three species. Description: The Eastern Spiny Softshell has a leather like shell that is very round and flattened, when comparing it to other turtles. Every state in the US has different laws regarding native turtles and turtles in general. Illinois … The skin of the Hieroglyphic River Cooter is usually covered with pronounced stripes tah can range in color from yellow to orange to red. Even if at the moment there are a lot of individuals of a species, there can be some changes in their environment that will drastically affect the species. The skin is usually covered in multiple yellow spots. Scutes may contain a beautiful pigmentation that looks like a sun's rays. How big it can get: Males usually reach sizes between 3 and 5 inches, while females are considerably bigger, reaching sizes between 8 and 10 inches. Alligator Snapping Turtle also possess one of the snapping turtles distinct features, a sharp beak. What you can do if you find a native wild turtle really depends on your intentions. The upper side of the skin is usually black and covered with spots just like the upper part of the shell, while the lower part of the skin is colored just like the underside of the shell, yellow, orange or red. The land turtles are a common turtle in Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The lower part of the shell is usually a yellow. Pet turtles require lots of time, care and attention! The lower side of the shell is usually light colored. If you would rather not come into contact with the turtle, gently slide a broad, flat shovel under the turtle and place it into a container. How big it can get: Blanding’s turtle reaches sizes between 7 and 10 inches. How long it can live: Between 40 and 60 years. Laws About Wild Turtles in Illinois . Firmly grasp the shell from the top and bottom of the shell with the fingers and lift the turtle. If you want to feed the turtle , you can definitely do that, that would actually be great, but make sure that you are feeding it the right thing, some foods can be very dangerous to turtles, to find out which food items are good and which are bad you can always check out this article where you will also find a few food items lists: What Do Turtles Eat ? A light stripe bordered by black is usually present behind each eye. Description: The Common Musk Turtle has a very plain appearance with very consistent colors. Alligator snappers, which most people will never see, are listed as endangered, and they inhabit only larger rivers and streams in the southern part of the state, the Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash Rivers, and tributaries directly connected to them. Most Illinois turtles lay oval eggs, but softshells and snapping turtles lay spherical eggs. One of the few distinct features of the Eastern Mud Turtle are the stripes on the head that can range in color from white to yellow. There are 13 types of turtles in Kentucky from different categories including both aquatic turtles and terrestrial turtles. We hope you will enjoy the site and that you will find what you’re looking for.​. The lower side of the shell is usually plain yellow, but in some cases there can be small colored spots. Turtles can be highly aquatic (staying in water most of their lives) or semi-aquatic. Illinois designated the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) as the official state reptile in 2005 (also the reptile symbol of Michigan). Where it lives: Map turtles can be found in waters that are stagnant or slow moving, and that have a lot of vegetation. Diet: Spotted turtles are omnivorous. If you find our articles helpful, and you like our site we would like to ask for your help. Every year TurlteOwner.com makes the world a better place for thousands of pet turtles, but right now we are having trouble keeping the site online. The color of the shell and the skin is usually very similar and it can usually be dark brown or balck. Small species, such as the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), may lay only three to five eggs in a nest, while the larger snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) lays 20 to 40 eggs. How big it can get: There is a huge difference in size between males and females. Here is a list that explains what every status means: The turtle species that I listed above are known as native species, but there can be other turtle species that live in that area that are not native, those species are called alien species. The long tail of a snapping turtle should not be used to lift the turtle, since the weight of the body can sever the turtle’s spine. Most Illinois turtles lay oval eggs, but softshells and snapping turtles lay spherical eggs. Female turtles are often struck while searching for nest sites during the spring and summer months, and turtles of all ages and both sexes are struck when they migrate between water sources during the late summer and fall. Additionally, the Prairie Research Institute’s Illinois Natural History Survey has an Identification Key to help people figure out what species turtle they have found. How long it can live: Between 30 and 40 years. Turtles are one of the most popular house pets in the world. Most of those rules are generally designed to protect turtles, so even if they seem a little restrictive, they are there for a good reason. The upper shell has a pattern that is similar to a map, hence the name Ouachita Map Turtle. In Illinois, the rabbits live in open and wooded areas in rural and urban settings. The skin of the False Map Turtle is usually covered with thin yellow-white stripes. In general, the color of their skin and shell can range from brown to black, and their skin is covered with yellow stripes. Slider turtles are probably the most popular species of water turtles kept in the world. Their preferred prey includes fish, crayfish, and other aquatic invertebrates. Males have a red crown and throat. Placing a wire basket (with a top) over the nest site can protect the nest from predators such as raccoons and opossums. Illinois snakes are a collecton of contradictions. Description: The Alligator Snapping Turtle is usually black or dark brown,and it has a very spiky appearance. Various Types of Turtles. Diet: Red Eared Sliders are omnivorous, their diet usually consists of meat, fish, insects, snails, aquatic vegetation, fruits and vegetables. It is not necessary to provide water as long as the turtle will be held only a short time. But if you have a question about something that you couldn’t find in the article you should leave a comment, I will do my best to answer it as soon as possible. The amount of time it takes the eggs to hatch is around 80 days. Description: Blanding’s Turtle has a considerably more dome-like shaped shell than most turtles. Another distinguishable feature of the Common Musk turtle can be found on its head in the form of two light colored stripes. Where it lives: Blanding’s turtles usually inhabit clean shallow waters with soft bottoms and abundant vegetation. If you see a photo that looks like the species you saw, then you can click on the photo to get information about that particular species. Reproduction: Map turtles usually nest multiple times a year from the start of the spring up until the end of the summer. Status: Endangered. Where it lives: As the name implies Mud turtles prefer to stay in water bodies that have a soft bottom, composed of either sand or mud. Required fields are marked *. Reproduction: Nesting season starts in March and ends in Late May, early June. They eat various types of vegetation, such as grass and dandelions, and will take garden crops, says the U of I. The amount of time it takes the eggs to hatch is around 80 days. In this article I am going to take a closer look at each species and cover a few basic things about them, things like the appearance, lifespan, how big it can get, diet, where it lives, conservation status and reproduction. Alien species can be added to an area to help with certain ecological problems, or by mistake. In the case of younger individuals well defined round spots can be observed on the shell, in the case of adults those spots are not very visible. Identification. When choosing a turtle make sure you know how big they will grow. It is illegal to take turtles from the La Rue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Area in Union County. But if you still want to, at least try not to put your hands near your face after you touched the turtle. There are many types of turtles and some species may suit your lifestyle better than others. These turtles are light tan in color and their shells, as their name suggests, feature a ridge along the top. How Much Do Turtles Cost? Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk; does not qualify for a higher risk category. When a species gets its status there are a lot of factors taken into consideration, not only the number of individuals still leaving. Since a lot of those laws are about the native species I strongly suggest you to visit this interactive map that will point you to an article on this site that explains as simply as possible the state laws in Illinois regarding turtles, tortoises and terrapins. They usually have very long legs, necks and tails. Like all Illinois pond turtles, males have longer front claws than the female, with these claws used in a mating ritual. Diet: Eastern Spiny softshells are carnivorous. They also nest in exposed sand or soil in yards, along railroad tracks and trails edges, in agricultural fields, and in crushed limestone trails, especially if these areas are near permanent water. Where it lives: In general Spotted turtles can be found in marshes, wet meadows, swamps, bogs, and shallow borders of ponds, lakes and streams. Description: The Mississippi Mud Turtle has an upper shell that is usually colored dark brown or black. Turtles in Illinois include common snappers, a few alligator snappers (in the Mississippi river system), western and midland painted turtles, red-eared sliders, eastern and three-toed box turtles (and I think there are some western box turtles in a small part of Illinois, on the part that goes with the Great Plains, though I might be wrong on that), and some kinds of mud, musk, and map turtles. Additionally, curbs along roads and parking lots and railroad tracks can trap turtles. There are aquatic species that spend almost all of their lives in the water, Description: The color of the Ouachita Map Turtle is usually, olive, brown or black. Description: The Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle is a rather plain looking softshell turtle. The skin is also covered with very spike-like structures. The head and limbs are olive or gray above, and light gray or cream-colored below. Turtles are reptiles of the order Chelonia / k ɪ ˈ l oʊ n i ə / or Testudines / t ɛ ˈ s tj uː d ɪ n iː z /.They are characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. Be careful not to be scratched by the nails on the turtle’s hind feet. Diet: In general they prefer fruits, vegetables and other forms of vegetation over meat, but they can be occasionally seen eating insects and snails. A turtle can cost anywhere between $10 and $100... Do Turtles Smell? The upper shell has lies that sometimes form a web-like pattern and may or may not have blotches, this is where it gets the name False Map Turtle because the lines form a sort of map across the shell, but not like map turtles have. 7 Missouri’s Turtles Stinkpot (Common Musk Turtle) Sternotherus odoratus This is Missouri’s smallest species and one of the world’s smallest turtles. How big it can get: Most of them reach sizes between 8 and 12 inches, but it’s not uncommon to find females that reach sizes bigger than that, sometimes even 15 inches. If you must move the turtle, don’t move it far. Take special care when moving snapping turtles. How big it can get: They usually reach sizes between 5 and 7 inches. This water is important for moistening the soil of the nest site. Reproduction: Nesting season starts in March and ends in June. The most important thing that you have to watch out for when interacting with a wild turtle is the turtle trying to bite you. Do not move the turtle very far from where it was found. Adult green turtles are the only herbivorous sea turtles. Reproduction: Nesting season usually starts in late May and lasts until August. If you must handle a snapping turtle, always keep your hands on the hind legs or on the very rear portion of its shell. Most states, including Illinois, have laws that protect wild native turtles. You can check out the laws of Illinois on this page: Turtle State Laws. Your email address will not be published. Hello, I am Victor, and I have a turtle pond that is the home of 6 turtles and 2 tortoises. Diet: Map turtles are omnivorous, so they will eat meat, insects, fruit, vegetables, aquatic vegetation, and everything else that they can find. KY state is located in the southern United States and is bordered by Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to the north, Tennessee to the south, Virginia and West Virginia to the east, and Missouri to the west. How long it can live: Between 20 and 40 years. They usually hunt their prey, but not actively, they do this by sitting at the bottom of the lake with their mouth open, while waiting for their prey. Turtles may be mauled by domestic pets or mishandled by curious children and adults. If you want to take a few photos from a distance, you can definitely do that. How long it can live: Between  30 and 50 years. 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