17 Types of Turtles In Arkansas

You can find 17 types of turtles in the Ozark state of Arkansas. A few species include mud turtles, map turtles, painted turtles, snapping turtles, softshell turtles, and even box turtles.

Arkansas is nicknamed The Natural State because of all the natural beauty found throughout. Turtles have found this state a wonderful habitat that encompasses wilderness areas complete with mountains, caves, multiple rivers and waterways, and hot springs.

Arkansas seems the perfect place for moisture loving aquatic turtles, as well as terrestrial, land-dwelling turtles. Come along as we journey through this great state and search for the 16 types of turtles found in Arkansas.

Snapping Turtles in Arkansas

1. Common Snapping Turtle

• Experience level: Intermediate to Expert
• Family: Chelydrida
• Scientific Name: Chelydra Serpentina
• Common Name: Common Snapping Turtle, Snapper, Eastern Snapping Turtle
• Average Adult Size: 8 to 20 inches
• Life Span: 30 – 50 years
• Average Price Range: Approximately $40 to $120
• Conservation Status: Least concern

The Common Snapping Turtle has a strong, sharp, hooked beak and a long flexible neck that can dart out like a harpoon. They can have an aggressive temperament outside of the water but remain reclusive underwater. As a pet, they can be a difficult turtle to handle.

In the wild, it’s best to leave these big baddies alone. They have a powerful, nasty bite, and they won’t hesitate to use it. Though they can hiss loudly to give you a short warning. 

Common Snapping turtles can be found in any body of freshwater with a muddy bottom, but they prefer slow moving streams, ponds, and lakes where they can hang out at the bottom and wait for food to wander close by.

Omnivorous by nature, the Common Snapping turtle eats crayfish, insects, amphibians, fish, and any small creatures it can fit in its mouth. They also eat some vegetation, but that makes up only a small portion of their diet.

Snapping turtles are dark colored, and often have algae and moss covering their shell. They have thick limbs and a long, meaty tail. They are instantly recognizable because of their thick shell that barely covers them.

2. Alligator Snapping Turtle

• Experience level: Expert
• Family: Chelydrida
• Scientific Name: Macrochelys temminckii
• Common Name: Loggerhead Snapper
• Average Adult Size: 13-30 inches
• Life Span: 30 – 50 years
• Average Price Range: Approximately $50 to $300
• Conservation Status: Vulnerable

The Alligator Snapping Turtle has a bite force of 1,000 lbs. Fortunately, these gentle giants rarely employ that destructive weapon as long as they are not cornered or handled. 

Though the Alligator Snapper is very intimidating both because of looks and size, they really just want to be left alone. They are the heaviest and largest freshwater turtle in North America.

You won’t often see these turtles out of the water—they even bask just under the surface—unless the female is looking for a nesting site. 

Alligator Snapping turtles get their name because the pyramidal scutes on their carapace (upper shell) resemble the ridged back of alligators. They are similar to common snapping turtles as their shell looks much too small for their large bulky bodies.

Most of the time, these turtles are found at the bottom of lakes, swamps, and slow moving rivers. There they lay motionless with their mouths open waiting for a meal. On their tongue there’s a fleshy appendage they wiggle around to resemble a tasty worm.

When a fish or other aquatic animal gets close, the turtle darts its head out and snaps up the tender morsel.

These beasts can get huge! The largest recorded specimen weighed in at 249 lbs, though they usually average just over 100 lbs.

Musk Turtles in Arkansas

3. Eastern Musk Turtle

• Experience Level: Intermediate
• Family: Kinosternidae
• Scientific Name: Sternotherus odoratus
• Other Names: Common Musk turtle, Stinkpot
• Adult Size: 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm)
• Lifespan: 30 to 50 years
• Average Price Range: $30 to $120
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Eastern, or Common Musk turtle is one of the smallest turtles or Arkansas, and is distinguished by two light colored stripes on its head, and a ridge along the length of its shell. The Eastern Musk Turtle is mostly dark colored and ranges between brown and black with irregular markings on the carapace.

This tiny turtle has two unique ways of protecting itself from predators. It’s not affectionately called the stinkpot for no reason, and it can reach new heights to flee from predators.

The Stinkpot can release an awful smelling musk from glands located on the back half of its body. Usually, this is enough to frighten people and most other animals away. It’s the Pepe Le’Pew of the turtle world.

Another amazing adaptation this turtle has is it can climb trees! I’m not pulling your leg, these turtles have been observed climbing several feet high to escape danger.

Their preferred habitat is slow moving, freshwater bodies, with muddy bottoms and a lot of vegetation. These turtles, though mostly aquatic, don’t swim very well, and use vegetation to climb and reach the surface.

Musk turtles are omnivorous and will eat insects, snails, carrion, and plant matter.

4. Razorback Musk Turtle

• Experience level: Beginner
• Family: Kinosternidae
• Scientific Name: Sternotherus Carinatus
• Other Names: N/A
• Average Adult Size: 5 – 6 inches
• Life Span: 20 – 30 years
• Average Price Range: Approximately $80 – 160
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Razorback Musk Turtle is mostly found in slow moving bodies of water with a lot of vegetation. Like the common musk turtle, the Razorback is not a great swimmer. Despite this, they do spend a lot of time in the water.

They like the bottom of their water habitat to be rocky or sandy. These turtles also seek out areas with plenty of basking spots. 

As you would assume by its name, the Razorback Musk turtle has distinct ridges that resemble sharp blades on the top of its carapace. Their plastron has a hinge in the front so they can slightly close themselves up for protection.

Their shells are typically gray to olive in color with black edges. Their skin is brown or gray and covered in black spots.

The Razorback Musk turtle is mostly carnivorous, preferring to eat snails, aquatic insects, fish, and worms, but they will occasionally eat vegetation.

Being a musk turtle, the Razorback has glands that can produce a nasty substance that smells awful if it’s threatened or provoked.

Map Turtles in Arkansas

4. Northern Map Turtle

• Experience Level: Beginner
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Graptemys geographica
• Other Name: Common map turtle
• Adult Size: Between 4 and 10 ½ inches
• Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
• Average price range: Between $20 and $60
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Common Map turtle gets its name from the appearance of its shell as it has light colored map-like patterns on the carapace. Their skin is typically darker in color ranging from dark brown to black, with lighter green or yellow striping. 

As the Common Map turtle ages, these markings fade and the turtle darkens to nearly black.

Map turtles are common turtles that live in large communities, but you may never know they were there. They love to bask on logs, branches, or other debris, but they will slip into the water at the slightest disturbance.

They love large bodies of water so they can hunt their favorite foods. Common Map turtles will eat fish, insects, tadpoles, invertebrates, and carrion. When meat is scarce they will switch and feed on vegetation, though they clearly prefer a carnivorous diet.

5. Mississippi Map Turtle

• Experience level: Intermediate – expert
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni
• Other Names: Sawback Turtle
• Average Adult Size: 5 – 10 inches
• Life Span:  30 – 50 years
• Average Price Range: $30 – $130
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Mississippi Map Turtle prefers strong currents and deep waters found in large rivers. They are excellent swimmers and hunters that prefer midge larvae—small, wormlike bugs that resemble mosquito larvae—but they will eat some vegetation.

Often nicknamed the Sawback turtle, they have a prominent keel along the top of their shell that often smooths out as they age. The plastron is yellow or cream colored and has black markings. 

They have dark colored skin with yellow stripes, and often a prominent yellow mark just behind the light colored eyes. Mississippi Map turtles have light blue or white irises that create a striking contrast to the dark skin.

While shy in nature, when confronted or handled, these turtles won’t hesitate to bite. Though usually smaller, these bites can break the skin and be very painful. 

Mississippi Map turtles are often found in the Missouri river valley of Arkansas.

6. Ouachita Map Turtle

• Experience Level: Beginner
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Graptemys ouachitensis
• Other Names: Southern Map turtle
• Adult Size: 3.5 to 10 inches (9 to 25.5 cm)
• Lifespan: 15 to 20 years
• Average Price Range: $40 to $100
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

To pronounce this name, think of the city Wichita, instead of starting with “which” the first syllable sounds like “watch.” It’s the “WATCH-ee-tah” turtle.

The Ouachita Map Turtle is a subspecies of the Common Map Turtle and is mainly found in swift moving bodies of water with sandy, silt covered bottoms. They don’t care for rocky or muddy habitats. 

It can be difficult to tell map turtle species apart, but look at the Ouachita Map turtle’s head and you will see three prominent, yellow spots. One under the eye, one under the jaw, and the other behind the eye. Their yellow stripes are also thicker than other map turtles.

Ouachita Map turtles eat worms, crayfish, carrion, snails, insects, and aquatic vegetation.

Cooters in Arkansas

7. Eastern River Cooter

• Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Pseudemys concinna concinna
• Other Names: River Cooter
• Adult Size: Between 8 and 12 inches
• Lifespan: Between 20 and 40 years
• Average Price Range: $20 to $50
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Eastern River Cooter is often seen in large rivers but also inhabits lakes and large ponds. One of the biggest amenities these turtles seek when looking for a place to live is plenty of basking spots. 

They often share digs with other turtle species and will frequently climb on top of other turtles. 

Their carapace is brown to greenish brown, complete with yellowish markings and a C-shaped figure on the second scutes. This marking isn’t typical of juveniles and it will often show up in later years.

River cooters are voracious feeders that will eat almost anything they come across. They often eat vegetation, but will also eat clams, fish, carrion, and any other small aquatic animals they can swallow.

Mud Turtles in Arkansas

8. Mississippi Mud Turtle

• Experience level: Intermediate
• Family: Kinosternidae
• Scientific Name: Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis
• Other Names: N/A 
• Average Adult Size:  5 – 7 inches
• Life Span:  25 – 45 years
• Average Price Range: $40 – $80
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Mississippi Mud Turtle doesn’t like flowing waterways. They prefer swamps, oxbow lakes, and other shallow bodies of water. They like muddy bottoms with plenty of vegetation to hide and hunt in.

They are mostly brown and have few markings to distinguish them. They do have a few triangular scutes on the plastron that other turtles do not have. When looking at the bottom you can see the letter K at the front and back of the plastron.

Be careful handling these turtles as they will nip, and do not like being taken out of the water.

Males of this species are usually larger than females, which is uncommon in most species of aquatic turtles. 

The Mississippi Mud Turtle is omnivorous, and they survive off of vegetation, fish, insects, carrion, and whatever else is available in their habitats.

Box Turtles in Arkansas

9. Ornate Box Turtle

• Experience Level: Intermediate to Expert
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Terrapine ornata
• Other Names: Box Tortoise, Western Box Turtle
• Adult Size: 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm)
• Lifespan: 30 to 40 years
• Average Price Range: $150 to $450
• Conservation Status: Near Threatened

The little Ornate Box Turtle is a threatened species because they get poached from their natural habitat and illegally sold on the pet market. They are beautiful turtles with mild temperaments, because of this the ornate box turtle has become a very popular pet. 

Though it is a turtle, they are not aquatic and spend their lives on the ground. They prefer flat grasslands and sandy plains such as agricultural lands. 

The box turtle is named so because it can pull its entire body into the shell and close it off like a box. They have hinges on the front and back of their plastron that allows them to shut in to protect themselves.

Ornate box turtles are primarily dark colored but have bright yellow or orange markings along their carapace scutes that look like paint streaks.

Truly omnivorous, the Ornate Box turtle will eat anything that’s remotely edible. From fruits, grasses, and plants, to insects, worms, and carrion. 

10. Three-toed Box Turtle

• Experience level: Intermediate
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina triunguis
• Other Names: N/A
• Average Adult Size: 4.5 – 6.5 inches
• Life Span: 70+ years
• Average Price Range: $140 – $430
• Conservation Status: Vulnerable 

The Three-toed Box Turtle is another terrestrial turtle found in a few areas in Arkansas. They are distinguished because they have three toes on the hind legs instead of four like other box turtle species.

They range from olive to tan in color, and sometimes have faint yellow markings or lines in the center of their scutes. Males can have yellow, orange, or red dots on their throats, while the tops of their heads are dark.

Often, the plastrons of Three-toed Box turtles are yellow or straw colored with few or no markings.

They live on land in either meadows or grasslands and will migrate depending on the seasons. Areas with high moisture or areas close to a water source are important to these turtles.

During droughts or dry times, Three-toed Box turtles will dig burrows in leaf litter to stay moist. When water is available, they can often be seen soaking, but not completely submerged.

Their diet consists of earthworms, mollusks, vegetation, mushrooms, insects, and even quail eggs if they find them.

Softshell Turtles in Arkansas

11. Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle

• Experience level: Intermediate
• Family: Trionychidae
• Scientific Name: Apalone Mutica Mutica
• Other Names: N/A
• Average Adult Size: 5 – 14 inches
• Life Span: 10 – 20 years
• Average Price Range: $50 – $150
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

These turtles have soft shells as their name suggests. Because of this lack of protection, they are very fast for a turtle whether on land or in the water.

They can also be rather aggressive and have a very long necks that can reach nearly half their body length.

Midland Smooth Softshell turtles are flat shaped and have no discernable markings. They range from olive to dark brown in color. Like all other softshell turtles, they have a long snout to help them reach up and breathe air without leaving the water.

These turtles prefer very clean, unpolluted waters such as lakes, ponds, and clean marshes. Dirty waterways seem to be affecting this species’ numbers. They prefer soft, sandy, or muddy bottoms and banks so they can easily dig out areas to lay their eggs.

Like other softshell turtles, the midland is an omnivorous turtle. Though they prefer insects, fish, snails, and other sources of meat, they will eat vegetation when they have to.

12. Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle

• Experience Level: Intermediate to Expert
• Family: Trionychidae
• Scientific Name: Apalone Spinifera Spinifera
• Other Names: N/A
• Adult Size: 5 to 9 ½ inches for males, 10 to 20 inches for females
• Lifespan: Between 20 and 50 years
• Average Price Range: Between $20 and $120
• Conservation Status: Least Concern 

The Eastern Spiny Softshell turtle is another pancake looking turtle. It’s very similar in appearance to the Midland Softshell except for the prominent markings.

The Spiny Softshell has black spots or blotches along the carapace and highly marked limbs. They have spots and stripes of muted browns and tans along their skin.

They are called Spiny because of the ridge of tubercles or fleshy spikes along the front of the carapace, and it has a rough, sandpapery shell.

Easter Spiny Softshell turtles have been found all across the state in most waterways.

They are omnivorous but prefer protein based meals. 

Pond Sliders in Arkansas

13. Red-eared Slider

• Experience level: Beginner
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Trachemys Scripta Elegans
• Common Name: Pond slider, Red-eared terrapin, Water slider
• Average Adult Size: 6 – 8 inches
• Life Span: 20 to 40 years
• Average Price Range: approximately $30 to $100
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Red-eared Slider Turtle has red blobs behind its eyes that look like eardrums. The rest of the stripes that run throughout their heads and limbs vary slightly between an orange or yellow color. 

Their shells are mostly brown to black with markings on each scute. There is also a lighter colored band that runs along the outer edge of the carapace.

Red Eared Sliders are habitat generalists as they can inhabit nearly any type of water. They prefer slow moving lakes, creeks, and ponds, but will make use of many other habitats as long as it has plenty of water.

Their diet is omnivorous, and they eat insects, snails, sometimes fish, and other aquatic vegetation. 

Painted Turtles in Arkansas

14. Southern Painted Turtle

• Experience level: Beginner
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Chrysemys dorsalis
• Other Names: Painted Turtle
• Average Adult Size: 4 – 6 inches
• Life Span: 20 – 25 years
• Average Price Range: $30 – $150
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Southern Painted Turtle looks as though its shell has a stripe of paint along the upper ridge from front to back. Their upper shells and bodies are brown to blackish in color and their plastrons are non-marked and cream colored. 

Like other painted turtles their head and limbs have light colored, yellow, cream, or orange stripes. These turtles are the smallest species of painted turtles, reaching only about 6 inches in length max.

The small Southern Painted turtle prefers shallow bodies of water. They look for ponds, rivers, ditches, and wetlands with soft, muddy bottoms with plenty of vegetation they can graze on. 

While in their early life, the Southern Painted turtle consumes mostly insects and small aquatic animals. As they grow older, they take a liking to their veggies and start consuming a more vegetarian rich diet.

Chicken Turtles in Arkansas

17. Western Chicken Turtle

• Experience level: Beginner
• Family: Emydidae
• Scientific Name: Deirochelys reticularia miaria
• Common Name:  Western Chicken Turtle
• Average Adult Size: 6 – 9 inches
• Life Span: 13 – 15 years
• Average Price Range: Approximately $140
• Conservation Status: Least Concern

The Western Chicken Turtle is a freshwater turtle and can be found in slow moving or still waters such as lakes, marshes, ponds, or sandhills. They typically won’t be found in waterways with large predators such as large fish or alligators.

Their shells have an oval shape and are olive to dark brown in color. The carapace can be plain and featureless or have a faint pattern. Their skin is covered in yellow stripes.

These turtles are relatively small compared to many other species in Arkansas, with the females reaching around 10 inches maximum. They are also rather short lived for a turtle. 

In captivity, the Chicken turtle usually only lives about 13 to 15 years, but some can reach a max age of around 20 to 24 years.

The Chicken turtle moniker doesn’t come to them because they eat chickens, or look like the fowl, but rather because their meat was said to taste like chicken. This turtle was an ingredient in the once popular turtle soup.

This dish is still served in some restaurants but typically contains snapper turtle meat, beef, or alligator instead.

Chicken turtles are omnivorous, but mostly eat fish, snails, insects, and other aquatic inhabitants.

Wrapping up

Arkansas is home to 16 species of turtles who each have its own unique attributes. The climate makes it the perfect home for many species of turtles. If you’re out in the wilds or exploring the waterways keep your eyes peeled for these amazing species of turtles. 

We love to hear from you, so if you have any comments, have seen these turtles before or own one, let us know!

Other nearby states

• Turtles in Kansas
• Turtles in Louisianna
• Turtles in Mississippi
• Turtles in Missouri
• Turtles in Oklahoma
• Turtles in Tennessee
• Turtles in Texas

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