All Topics  
Sternotherus

 
Sternotherus

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Sternotherus
 
 
  Topics Sternotherus Topic Home

Sternotherus is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of aquatic turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
 known commonly as the musk turtle. They are found throughout the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. They are very similar to the American mud turtle
Mud turtle

Mud turtle is the common name given to two genus of aquatic turtles: Kinosternon, mud turtles found in North America and South America, and Pelusios, mud turtles found in Africa....
s, but tend to have a more dome
Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d carapace
Carapace

A carapace is a Dorsum section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids as well as vertebrates such as chelonians, order Testudines, turtles and tortoises....
, with a distinctive keel down the center of it. All musk turtles are carnivorous
Carnivore

A carnivore , meaning 'meat eater' , is any animal with a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from animals living or dead .In a more general sense, an animal may be considered a carnivore if it prefers feeding on animal matter over plant matter....
, consuming various aquatic invertebrate
Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s, fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
, and carrion
Carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters, or scavengers, include Hyenas, Vultures, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, Black Bears, Komodo Dragons, Bald Eagles, Raccoons and Blue-tongued lizards....
.








Discussion
Ask a question about 'Sternotherus'
Start a new discussion about 'Sternotherus'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Sternotherus is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of aquatic turtle
Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
 known commonly as the musk turtle. They are found throughout the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. They are very similar to the American mud turtle
Mud turtle

Mud turtle is the common name given to two genus of aquatic turtles: Kinosternon, mud turtles found in North America and South America, and Pelusios, mud turtles found in Africa....
s, but tend to have a more dome
Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d carapace
Carapace

A carapace is a Dorsum section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids as well as vertebrates such as chelonians, order Testudines, turtles and tortoises....
, with a distinctive keel down the center of it. All musk turtles are carnivorous
Carnivore

A carnivore , meaning 'meat eater' , is any animal with a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from animals living or dead .In a more general sense, an animal may be considered a carnivore if it prefers feeding on animal matter over plant matter....
, consuming various aquatic invertebrate
Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s, fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
, and carrion
Carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters, or scavengers, include Hyenas, Vultures, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, Black Bears, Komodo Dragons, Bald Eagles, Raccoons and Blue-tongued lizards....
.

Species

  • Razorback Musk Turtle, Sternotherus carinatus
    Sternotherus carinatus

    The Razorback Musk Turtle is a species of turtle native to the United States, in the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana....
     (Gray
    John Edward Gray

    John Edward Gray was a United Kingdom zoology. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
    , 1855)
  • Flattened Musk Turtle, Sternotherus depressus (Tinkle
    Donald W. Tinkle

    Donald Ward Tinkle was a prominent herpetology, Ecology, and Evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan until his illness and death at age 50....
     & Webb, 1955)
  • Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor (Agassiz
    Louis Agassiz

    Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a paleontologist, glaciologist, and geologist, and was a prominent innovator in the study of the earth's natural history....
    , 1857)
  • Common Musk Turtle or Stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratus
    Sternotherus odoratus

    The Common Musk Turtle or Stinkpot is a species of small turtle native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States, named after their ability to release a foul musky odor to deter predation....
     (Latreille
    Pierre André Latreille

    Pierre Andr? Latreille was a France entomology. His works describing insects assigned many of the insect taxa still in use today.Latreille was born into a humble family of Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corr?ze, and in 1778 entered the Jean Lemoine in Paris....
    , 1802)