Unidentified Muddy

The-Great-Stash

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Along with the spiny softshell, my intent was to purchase this big male muddy. The owner told me that he was a Mississippi, but I doubt it. He looks more like an Eastern (as mentioned in a previous thread) to me. What are your thoughts?
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cdmay

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Cool. First, I like the cedar tree in your front yard.
OK second, and more on point...that is neither and eastern mud turtle, nor a Mississippi mud turtle.
I'm fairly certain you have in your hand a male YELLOW mud turtle Kinosternon flavescens.
Yellow muddies are great animals and very long lived.
Check with Markw84 or Mark1 to confirm.
 

The-Great-Stash

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Cool. First, I like the cedar tree in your front yard.
OK second, and more on point...that is neither and eastern mud turtle, nor a Mississippi mud turtle.
I'm fairly certain you have in your hand a male YELLOW mud turtle Kinosternon flavescens.
Yellow muddies are great animals and very long lived.
Check with Markw84 or Mark1 to confirm.
Thanks. It reminds me of a giant bonsai.

And are you serious? Yellows are pretty expensive turtles compared to other North American subspecies. But really, what makes my male turtle, color aside? I've seen pics of Commons with yellow on them as well. Just need to understand it since I plan to breed him in the future and want to pic the right females of his kind.
 

Anthony P

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This is a tough one. I agree with @CharlieM that it is probably Kinostern flavescens, the Yellow Mud Turtle. Keep in mind also, that the Eastern and Mississippi are the same species and are very similar animals.
 

Markw84

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Agree with @cdmay and @Anthony P Looks to be K. flavescens You have provided good pictures, but one of the key identifying features of K. flavescens is the higher profile to the 9th and 10th marginals and that is kind of hard to see in all your picture angles. IN your rear view, you can clearly see a very high 10th marginal. The rest all looks K. flavescens too especially the yellow/brown coloration which is more uncommon in other Kinosternon plus the complete lack of stripes or spots on head and neck and the lighter coloration there.. The shape of the femoral and anal scutes looks more K. flavescens as well.
 
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tglazie

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Yeah, that's definitely a yellow. If I remember correctly, you live in South Texas, and that species is by far the more common species of mud turtle out here. I've rarely seen Eastern Muds this far west, but aside from common musk turtles, the one little mud/musk type I've seen on the regular is the yellow mud, and that little turtle is a prime example of the species.

T.G.
 
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