MUSK AND MUD 
TURTLES 
MUSK TURTLE 
This is the skunk of the turtle world. 
It has been derisively dubbed with such local nicknames as “stinkpot” 
and “Stinkin’ Jenny,” which, truth to tell, it heartily deserves. 
It is a small creature, measuring about six inches from extended head 
to tip of tail, but it can keep off far stronger adversaries by emitting its 
horrible, musky-smelling secretion. In addition this odor, released from 
skin openings, probably serves to attract prospective mates in much the 
manner of crocodilians. 
The musk turtle lives in ponds and sluggish streams. Its food is secured 
on the mud bottom where it voraciously preys upon tiny fish, insects, tad¬ 
poles, fish eggs and snails, for it has a keen appetite. Much activity is also 
expended in scavenging bits of dead fish and water fowl. This turtle uncon¬ 
sciously mimics the common snapper when it snaps its beak on a victim. 
If the opportunity presents itself, the musk turtle will attempt to chew a 
man’s finger. It is quite a ferocious creature for its size, and its ill-temper 
rivals the snapper’s. 
The carapace, more than three inches long and two inches wide, is 
dark brown, and often striped. But the coating of green slime that covers 
it makes the colors inconspicuous. It has a large head and sharp-edged 
jaws. 
This creature leaves the water only on rare occasions, usually to lay its 
eggs. In winter it hibernates in the muddy bottoms of ponds and swamps. 
In June the female lays from three to seven thick-shelled eggs. The 
e S§ s are deposited in a depression in the mud bank, among piles of reeds 
or in the rotting wood of tree stumps. At birth, the young are soft-shelled 
and about one-half inch long. They reach maturity in about a year. 
Unlike most pond turtles the musk turtle can live in deep water. Several 
placed in deep water by Dr. Ditmars seemed to experience no difficulty 
172 
