Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest and heaviest living turtle. It can grow to 5ft 11in and weighs up to 500kg. It is the only living species of the dermocheltdae family, characterized by a different shell structure from other turtle shells. Other turtle shells have a bony structure, but the leatherback turtle’s shell is oily and flexible, like leather, hence the name. 

You will find leatherback turtles in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and western Pacific oceans. In addition, they inhabit all tropical and subtropical oceans. Adult leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish, fish, sea urchins, snails, cnidaria, and tunicates.

Also, the leatherback has a relatively long lifespan and can live up to 50 years or more. Sadly, leatherback turtles are endangered due to overharvesting and human encroachment on their natural habitats3.

Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Green sea turtles have many other names like a black sea turtle, pacific green turtle, and simply green turtle. They have the name green turtle because of the green fat underneath their carapace1 (shells). They inhabit the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. 

Adult green turtles grow up to 5ft long and weigh an average of 190kg. However, some green turtles can weigh up to 395kg. Green sea turtles’ physical attributes include their short snout and unhooked beak. Also, their carapaces have different colors that change from time to time.

Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Hawksbill sea turtles have shells that change color based on the water temperature. We can identify this turtle specie by its curved and pointed beak. A mature hawksbill turtle can grow up to 3ft long with a weight of 80kg.

Hawksbill turtles prefer to live in the tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans reefs. Fishers hunt them for their shells, eggs, and meat. Sadly, they are at risk of extinction because of human fishing activities.

Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)

Alligator snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtle species in the world. They have large and heavy heads, while their thick shells resemble the scales of an ancient plated dinosaur called Ankylosaurus. You can differentiate them from the common snapping turtle by the three ridges of spikes on their carapaces. Their habitat is in the fresh waters of the United States. 

Their colors are brown, grey, black, and olive green. Unlike other turtles, the male alligator turtle is bigger than its female counterpart. Adult turtles can weigh as much as 80kg and grow up to 31.8 inches long. Also, they have a long life span, ranging from 20 to 70 years. They are scavengers and active hunters, so their diet consists of dead and live fish.

Spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera)

A spiny softshell is a sizeable aquatic turtle, one of the largest out of most freshwater turtles. They get their name from the structure of their shells which have cone-like projections at the edge of their carapaces.

Also, you can recognize a spiny softshell by its soft, fleshy, and elongated nose. Furthermore, they have webbed feet with three claws on each. 

Their diet consists of crayfish, aquatic insects, fish, and aquatic plants. A unique feature of spiny softshells is their ability to breathe oxygen and carbon dioxide while breathing air or underwater2. This breathing ability makes them bimodal breathers.

Smooth softshell turtle (Apalone mutica)

This species of softshell has anapsid skulls. Anapsid skulls are skulls that have no openings. They also have a pipe-like snout with round nostrils. Their shells are smooth, soft, and flexible. Female smooth softshells are larger than their male counterparts. A female’s shell length can grow up to 14 inches, while males grow up to 7 inches.

They mainly eat crayfish, fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects. However, they sometimes eat aquatic plants and vegetation. They are endemic to North America, with a preference for underwater areas with sand or mud bottoms. They avoid rocky areas and places with heavy vegetation.

Three-toed box turtle (Terrapene triunguis)

Three-toed box turtles are endemic to the south-central regions of the United States. They prefer to live in humid areas like swampy and hardwood forests7. However, they are popular in the pet trade. When cared for adequately, they can live up to 50 years as pets. Furthermore, the three-toed box turtle is the official reptile of the state of Missouri. 

The three-toed box turtle got its name from the number of toes on its back feet. It primarily has three toes on its back feet, but, confusingly, it could also have four. Its shell is dome-shaped and can grow up to 7 inches long.

It feeds on earthworms, strawberries, slugs, mushrooms, plants, and insects. Certain regions have banned keeping three-toed box turtles as pet turtles to avoid poachers capturing them in the wild to sell as pets.

Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)

The eastern box turtle is endemic to the Eastern part of the United States. Eastern box turtles are slow and terrestrial. The turtle’s shells are high and dome-shaped, with colors ranging from brown to black. There are yellow and orange lines or spots on their carapace. Furthermore, a male eastern box turtle has red irises, while females have brown irises. 

These turtles can grow up to 8 inches long with horned beaks. They are omnivores, feeding on a variety of animals and plants. Their diet contains earthworms, slugs, snails, mushrooms, beetles, flowers, and grubs. They avoid stressful environmental conditions as they prefer moderately wet forest areas with good drainage.

A close relative of these guys, the ornate box turtle, is the other terrestrial turtle native to the US.

Golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata)

The golden coin turtle, also known as the Chinese three-striped box turtle, has three black stripes on their brown shells. There are also yellow markings on their carapace with a black plastron. This species is endemic to southern China. The turtles feed on fish, carrion, frogs, and insects and can grow up to 10 inches long. 

They prefer to spend most of their time on land and are most active during the evening and afternoon transition periods. They are excellent rock climbers and fast burrowers.

Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata)

The Chinese box turtle is also known as the golden-headed turtle. It has a high dome-shaped shell, higher than other turtles with dome-shaped shells. It has a dark brown carapace with creamy yellow markings. Also, each gender has an extension of a yellow line from behind the eyes. The male turtle has a broader tail than its female counterpart. 

This turtle is endemic to Central China5. You will find it in the wild in Hunan, Chongqing, Henan, Anhui, eastern Sichuan, and along the Yangtze drainage. It's also present in Taiwan and Japan.

Southern painted turtle (Chrysemys dorsalis)

The southern painted turtle is native to water bodies in the south-central areas of the United States. It prefers living in shallow waters with muddy bottoms and dense vegetation. So, they can live in lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, oxbows, and reservoirs. They are the smallest members of the Chrysemys family and only grow to the maximum length of 6 inches.

They are adaptable as pet turtles. They feed on frogs, fish, algae, snails, duckweed, and crayfish. They prefer living in water areas with muddy or sandy bottoms because it gives them a place to lay their cream-colored eggs. Mating season occurs in late winter and spring seasons, and female turtles can lay up to 20 eggs per clutch.

Musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus)

A musk turtle, also known as the common musk turtle or eastern musk turtle, is in the same family as mud turtles. People also call it stinkpot because of the foul smell it releases from the edge of its shell to chase off predators.

Common musk turtles have three dome-shaped shell colors. They are black, grey, and brown. Furthermore, they are little turtles with a maximum length of 5.5 inches. 

Their small sizes make them common pet turtles because they breed well in captivity for the pet trade. You will find the eastern musk turtle in southern Quebec, southern Ontario, and the eastern United States.

Also, they live in various wetlands, nearshore, and shallow water bodies. They are more aquatic and efficient at climbing than most turtles. The aquatic species nest in terrestrial areas. 

They feed on gastropods, bivalves, insects, crayfish, small fish, fish eggs, amphibians, crustaceans, green algae, and some parts of vascular plants. Female musk turtles can lay a maximum of 9 eggs per clutch

Eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum)

The eastern mud turtle, also known as the common mud turtle, is native to the United States. However, it can be tricky to identify these aquatic species because they do not have any markings or patterns on their shells, unlike the striped mud turtle also found in the US.

In addition, they only grow up to 4 inches in length. Eastern mud turtles have a yellowish-grey chin and throat, their limbs and tail are grey, and their eyes are yellow with dark clouds. 

They also have webbed feet. They are omnivorous and feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, and aquatic vegetation. They prefer to live in freshwater regions in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States.

Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica)

The northern map turtle, also known as a common map turtle, is aquatic. It got its name from the patterned markings on its shell. The markings look like contour lines on a topographical map. Commonly, map turtles have varying sizes.

A male northern map turtle weighs between 150g to 400g, while females weigh between 0.67kg to 2.5kg. Furthermore, a female’s carapace length grows up to 27cm while males stop growing at 16cm. 

They like to stay in large bodies of water like ponds, rivers, and lakes. Northern map turtles are endemic to St. Lawrence River drainage basin areas around south Quebec and Ontario to northern Vermont, extending into the Great Lakes. You will also find it in the Susquehanna River system in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Delaware River. 

Their strong jaws facilitate their flesh-eating nature. They feed on mollusks, insects, and crayfish. Females can easily crack open mollusks and snails because they have stronger jaws and wider heads.

Sadly, IUCN listed northern map turtles as endangered in Kansas, Kentucky, and Maryland.

Ouachita Map Turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis)

The Ouachita map turtle is a medium-sized turtle with a rectangular or oval yellow patch behind its eyes. Male turtles grow to 6.5 inches, while female turtles grow to 10.5 inches in length. Their upper shell, also referred to as a carapace, is jagged. It is a mix of olive-green and brown, with yellow lines covering the top of the turtle shell, making it look like waterways on a map.

Their head, neck, and limbs are dark green with thin yellow lines. Ouachita turtles have a black horizontal slit in their bright yellow eyes.

They eat fish, shrimp, insects, and mollusks. They also feed on algae and aquatic plants. However, people use them as pet turtles. Therefore, you will find them in large rivers and lakes when they are not living as human pets. Ouachita map turtles are endemic to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia, and Illinois.

False map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica)

False map turtles are aquatic turtles. They are called sawback turtles because of their serrated shell. The colors of their carapace are olive to brown, with yellow marks. However, their bodies can have different shades of color ranging from greyish brown to black, while their eye colors could be brown, yellow, white, or green. 

Male turtles are smaller than females. They grow to 5.75 inches, while females grow to 10.75 inches in length. Their diet consists of insects, worms, crayfish, snails, dead fish, and aquatic plants. False map turtles prefer to live in large streams. So, you can find them in various Missouri and Mississippi River systems. They are also in rivers in Southwest Louisiana and East Texas. 

False map turtles like to spend time in the sun as basking is very important to map turtles. They are a social group, sharing spaces and protecting each other from predators.

Spring is their mating season. They mate in water; reproduction takes about 80 days after the female turtle lays eggs during summer. The female reproductive organ can lay up to 22 turtle eggs per clutch.

Their very close look-a-likes, the Mississippi map turtle, share similar characteristics without lines on the top of their head.

Wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)

Wood turtles are 8 inches long. Their shells have a unique design. Each part of their scutes looks like a pyramid. Their shells are brown, while their necks and limbs are color red. They prefer to spend time near water, in the shallow parts. However, you can find them in forests and grasslands. 

Like most turtles, they are omnivores. They are endemic to New England, Nova Scotia, northern Indiana, and Minnesota. Wood turtles are active in the daytime in the spring season4, but they hibernate during the winter season. Also, they can move faster than other turtles at up to 0.32 kilometers per hour.

Chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia)

The chicken turtle prefers to live in slow-moving, shallow, or still-water bodies. It is carnivorous, so they eat crayfish, dragonflies, tadpoles, spiders, and carrion. Also, they are semi-aquatic, spending more than half the year on land. They enjoy basking as it helps them regulate their body temperature. 

The Chicken turtle species have sexual dimorphism. Female turtles are usually bigger than males, growing up to 10 inches. You can find them in the southeastern parts of the United States. There are three chicken turtle species: western, eastern, and Florida chicken turtles. They don’t have a long lifespan, living up to 25 years.