Turtles Of Tennessee: Species And Habitats Explored

Tennessee is home to a variety of turtle species, with 18-21 native species. The state's temperate climate, deciduous forests, and abundance of rivers provide the ideal habitat for freshwater turtles. From vulnerable species like the Bog Turtle to aquatic turtles such as the Eastern River Cooter and Mississippi Map Turtle, Tennessee offers a diverse range of environments for these fascinating creatures. The state is also home to terrestrial turtles like the Eastern Box Turtle and Three-toed Box Turtle, which prefer woodlands, grasslands, and areas near water. With such a wide range of habitats and turtle species, Tennessee is a great place to observe and study these ancient reptiles.

Tennessee's state reptile

Tennessee is home to a variety of turtle species, with 18-21 native species. The Eastern Box Turtle is Tennessee's state reptile and is common across the state, although populations are in decline. This small terrestrial turtle has a high-domed shell, typically dark brown or black with yellow to orange spots or blotches. It prefers to live in moist, open forests near water and floodplains, and occasionally pastures or burrows.

The Eastern Box Turtle is just one of several box turtle species native to Tennessee. The Three-toed Box Turtle, as the name suggests, has three toes on each hind limb and is found in the southwestern regions of the state. It has a brown or olive-coloured shell and prefers to live in woodlands and grasslands.

Another native species is the vulnerable Bog Turtle, which is confined to a few isolated parts of northeastern Tennessee. It is the smallest turtle species in North America and is classified as threatened in the state. Bog Turtles prefer to live in bogs, swamps, and other wetland habitats.

Tennessee is also home to several species of aquatic turtles, including the Eastern River Cooter, which is one of the most common freshwater turtles in the state. It is found in all major water systems, including rivers and lakes. The Cumberland Slider is another common species, found in the waters around the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers.

The state is also home to several species of softshell turtles, including the Spiny Softshell and the Smooth Softshell. The Spiny Softshell is found throughout Tennessee, while the Smooth Softshell is more commonly found in the northern parts of the state.

Where to find them

Tennessee is home to a variety of turtle species, and you can find many of them in different habitats across the state. Here are some of the common places to find these turtles:

Eastern Box Turtle

The Eastern Box Turtle is common across Tennessee and can be found in various habitats, including woodlands, meadows, fields, and near water sources. They prefer moist, mature oak-hickory forests with scattered open areas. They are also known to inhabit dense thickets and areas with access to sunlight and food sources.

Three-toed Box Turtle

This subspecies of the Eastern Box Turtle is found in the southwestern regions of Tennessee. They prefer open woodlands, grasslands, and meadows.

Bog Turtle

The Bog Turtle is mostly found in the extreme northeastern corner of Tennessee, including bogs, swamps, and other wetland habitats. They prefer slow-moving waters and wet meadows.

Common Snapping Turtle

Common Snapping Turtles are widespread throughout Tennessee and can be found in marshes, lakes, ponds, rivers, and slow streams. They prefer areas with aquatic vegetation and plenty of places to hide.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Alligator Snapping Turtles are found in the western regions of Tennessee. They inhabit deep waters such as canals, rivers, swamps, lakes, and other large bodies of water.

Painted Turtle

Painted Turtles are found near water sources with minimal movement, such as ponds, marshes, small lakes, and slow-moving streams with sandy bottoms. They are attracted to areas with an abundance of aquatic plants.

Southern Painted Turtle

The Southern Painted Turtle is commonly found on the edges of lakes and streams in western Tennessee. They prefer slow-moving waters and are the smallest subspecies of Painted Turtle.

Northern Map Turtle

Northern Map Turtles are commonly found in eastern Tennessee rivers, such as the Cumberland River, and in central regions. They tend to inhabit large bodies of water with debris for basking and often spend winters submerged in hibernation.

Ouachita Map Turtle

The Ouachita Map Turtle is found in the main channels and tributaries of the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River. They prefer sandy or silt-bottomed waters and areas with plenty of vegetation and rocks.

False Map Turtle

False Map Turtles are found in western Tennessee, particularly in the rivers, oxbow lakes, and streams of the Mississippi and Missouri river systems. They prefer moderate currents and deep water.

Eastern River Cooter

Eastern River Cooters are common freshwater turtles found in all major water systems in Tennessee, including rivers and lakes. They prefer areas with aquatic vegetation and rocky bottoms. They can often be spotted in groups, basking on logs or stacked on top of each other.

Spiny Softshell Turtle

Spiny Softshell Turtles can be found in lakes, rivers, and streams with sandy or muddy bottoms and little to no vegetation. They are often seen sunning themselves on the banks or floating on the water's surface.

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Smooth Softshell Turtles prefer larger, fast-running rivers but can also be found in lakes and large ponds. They are susceptible to the damaging effects of polluted water.

Eastern Mud Turtle

Eastern Mud Turtles are found in western Tennessee, inhabiting shallow water habitats such as ditches, wet meadows, marshes, and swamps. They prefer muddy, silty-bottomed waters.

Eastern Musk Turtle

Eastern Musk Turtles are found in many areas of Tennessee, except for central and northeastern regions. They inhabit slow-moving or still bodies of water, such as marshy and boggy habitats with dark crevices and plenty of plant matter.

Tennessee's diverse landscape provides a range of habitats for these turtle species, and their specific preferences help shape the state's ecosystems.

Diet and eating habits

Tennessee is home to 21 native turtle species, including aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles, as well as three species of terrestrial turtles. The diet of these turtles varies, with some being carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous.

Bog Turtles

Bog turtles are the smallest turtle species in North America and are confined to a few isolated northeastern parts of Tennessee. They are omnivores and can be fed insects, worms, mollusks, and commercial pellets, along with greens.

Eastern Box Turtles

The Eastern Box Turtle is the state reptile of Tennessee and is common across most of the state. They are omnivores and can roam up to 50 meters a day in search of food. Their diet includes plants and grasses, mushrooms, fruit, insects, earthworms, snails, salamanders, and even roadkill.

Three-toed Box Turtles

A subspecies of the Eastern Box Turtle, the Three-toed Box Turtle is found in the far southwestern regions of Tennessee. They are also omnivores and mainly roam on land in search of food.

Eastern River Cooters

Eastern River Cooters are some of the most common freshwater turtles in Tennessee and are found across the state. They are mainly herbivores, preferring vegetation and fruits, but will sometimes eat insects.

False Map Turtles

False Map Turtles are found in the northwestern areas of Tennessee, in the Mississippi River. They are omnivores and can be fed strips of fish, insects, snails, and worms.

Mississippi Map Turtles

A subspecies of the False Map Turtle, the Mississippi Map Turtle is found in the western stretches of the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River. They are omnivores and will eat fish, insects, and leafy greens.

Northern Map Turtles

Northern Map Turtles are one of the most common aquatic turtles in the eastern Tennessee river systems and the Cumberland River in central regions. They are mainly carnivorous and can be fed fish, insects, worms, and commercial turtle food. They will also eat leafy greens or lettuce.

Ouachita Map Turtles

Ouachita Map Turtles can be found in Tennessee's three main rivers: the Cumberland, Mississippi, and Tennessee. They are omnivores and can be fed commercial turtle food, insects, worms, and leafy greens.

Eastern Mud Turtles

Eastern Mud Turtles are found across most of Tennessee, except for the upper parts of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. They are omnivorous and can eat insects and mollusks such as clams, snails, and worms, as well as dark greens and commercial turtle food.

Common Musk Turtles

Common Musk Turtles, also known as "Stinkpots," are found in many regions of Tennessee, except for central and northeastern areas. They are nocturnal omnivores and can be fed insects and mollusks such as worms.

Stripe-necked Musk Turtles

Stripe-necked Musk Turtles are a subspecies of the Loggerhead Musk Turtle and are found in east Tennessee. They are small, quick aquatic turtles that inhabit ponds, rivers, and wetlands. They are omnivores and can be fed insects, mollusks, and greens.

Eastern Painted Turtles

Eastern Painted Turtles are small water turtles found in rivers and streams around the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee. They are omnivorous and can be fed insects, mollusks, and greens such as lettuce, as well as commercial turtle food.

Midland Painted Turtles

Midland Painted Turtles are another species of water turtle found in streams that diverge from the Tennessee River. They are omnivores and can be fed commercial turtle pellets, crustaceans, insects, and greens.

Southern Painted Turtles

Southern Painted Turtles are a subspecies of Painted Turtle mainly found in the river and wetland areas of western Tennessee. They are the smallest subspecies of Painted Turtle and are omnivores. Their diet includes crickets, worms, turtle pellets, and greens.

Cumberland Sliders

Cumberland Sliders are found in the southeastern United States, including waters around the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in Tennessee. They are omnivores and can be fed insects, mollusks, worms, turtle pellets, and leafy greens.

Red-eared Sliders

Red-eared Sliders are a semi-aquatic species mainly inhabiting northwestern river systems in Tennessee. They are one of the most popular species of pet turtles. They are omnivores and should be fed a diet of turtle pellets, leafy greens, and vegetables.

Yellow-bellied Sliders

Yellow-bellied Sliders inhabit southeastern sections of the Tennessee River and favor wetland habitats. They are large sliders and omnivores. Their diet includes commercial turtle pellets, crickets, mealworms, and leafy greens.

Alligator Snapping Turtles

Alligator Snapping Turtles are the largest freshwater turtle species in the world and are found in the western regions of Tennessee. They are carnivorous and should be fed mainly on fish.

Common Snapping Turtles

Common Snapping Turtles are a large, aggressive, freshwater species found across Tennessee in larger bodies of water. They are omnivores and can be fed freshwater fish, cooked meats, mealworms, shrimp, and greens or vegetables.

Midland Smooth Softshell Turtles

Midland Smooth Softshell Turtles are found in Tennessee's northern counties around major rivers. They are an intermediate to an expert level of care. Their diet includes insects, fish strips, and worms.

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles are Tennessee's native subspecies of Spiny Softshell and are found across the state. They are the most common softshell turtles in the state. Their diet includes fish, insects, mollusks, and shrimp.

Reproduction and breeding

The Eastern Box Turtle, a common species in Tennessee, mates in the spring and fall. Females of this species dig nests in sandy or loose soil to deposit 3-8 elongated, white eggs, and can lay up to 3 clutches per year. The hatchlings emerge after 3 months, but late clutches will not hatch until the following spring.

The Three-toed Box Turtle, a subspecies of the Eastern Box Turtle, has a mating season that begins in the spring and continues through the summer to October. Nesting occurs between May and July, and females typically lay 3-8 eggs. The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the offspring, with cooler nests producing male turtles and warmer nests producing female turtles.

The Eastern River Cooter breeds in the spring, after which the females dig nests in the sand close to rivers and deposit 9-29 eggs. The hatchlings emerge after about 2-3 months but remain in the nest until the following spring.

The False Map Turtle breeds in the spring, and the female leaves the water in late spring or summer to dig a nest and lay up to 60 eggs. The eggs hatch after 2.5-3.5 months, depending on the temperature and humidity of the nest.

The Northern Map Turtle hibernates from around November to April, remaining mostly underwater during this time. Their nesting period runs from May to July, with females choosing well-drained areas to nest. They lay between 6 and 20 eggs, and the incubation period lasts from 50 to 70 days.

The Mississippi Map Turtle, a subspecies of the False Map Turtle, breeds in the spring, and females lay their eggs in the summer. A female Mississippi Map Turtle will need a 125-gallon tank, while a male can be kept in a 75-gallon tank.

The Ouachita Map Turtle courts and mates in the water in the spring, and females lay 6-15 eggs per clutch in the summer. The hatchlings emerge later in the summer or in the fall.

The Cumberland Slider breeds during the spring, winter, and fall. Females lay 6-15 eggs per clutch, and most females lay in two seasons annually.

The Spiny Softshell Turtle generally breeds in May, and the females lay around 4-38 eggs in loose soil or sandbars. The eggs hatch around August or September.

The Smooth Softshell breeds in the spring, and the females lay 4-33 eggs in river islands and sand. The eggs hatch after about 2 months of nesting.

The Red-Eared Slider mates around March to July and the female keeps the eggs warm during the incubation stage, which takes around 59-112 days.

The Yellow-Bellied Slider breeds in the spring, and the females leave the water to find a suitable place to nest and lay 4-22 eggs. The eggs hatch in late summer, but the young remain in the nest until the following spring.

The Southern Painted Turtle mates during the spring and autumn, and their hatchlings or eggs are often consumed by snakes and rodents. Females can live up to 16 years, and the entire population can breed during the warm months, making this one of the most widespread native turtles in North America.

The Eastern Box Turtle copulates between April and October, with nesting taking place from May to July. Each clutch typically has 2-8 eggs, and the incubation period lasts about three months, depending on the soil's moisture and temperature.

The Bog Turtle, the smallest turtle species in Tennessee, mates in shallow waters in the spring. The female digs a nest in the soil and lays 1-6 eggs per clutch. The eggs are incubated late in the summer or burrowed during the fall.

Conservation status

The conservation status of turtles in Tennessee varies across species, with some facing greater threats than others. Here is a detailed overview of the conservation status of various turtle species in the state:

Bog Turtle:

The Bog Turtle, also known as Muhlenberg's Turtle, is considered vulnerable and is listed as "Threatened" in Tennessee. This species is confined to isolated areas in the northeastern parts of the state. Their populations are impacted by the reduction of wetland habitats, such as swamps and bogs, where they typically reside.

Eastern Box Turtle:

The Eastern Box Turtle is common across Tennessee, but its populations are in decline due to habitat loss, fragmentation from human development, mortality from vehicle collisions, and collection for the pet trade.

Three-toed Box Turtle:

The conservation status of the Three-toed Box Turtle in Tennessee is a cause for concern. These turtles are hunted for food, medicine, and burial practices, pushing them closer to extinction. However, their popularity as pets may provide some level of protection.

Eastern River Cooter:

The Eastern River Cooter is one of the most common freshwater turtles in Tennessee, but their populations have declined over time.

False Map Turtle:

No specific conservation status information was found for the False Map Turtle in Tennessee. However, they are primarily found in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in Iowa, with a shorter active season from April to September.

Northern Map Turtle:

The Northern Map Turtle is common in the eastern Tennessee rivers and the Cumberland River in central regions. While no specific threats are mentioned, they are social and shy, retreating to the water when threatened.

Mississippi Map Turtle:

No direct conservation status information was provided for the Mississippi Map Turtle. However, they are sensitive to water quality and can quickly become afflicted by infections if kept in dirty water.

Ouachita Map Turtle:

The Ouachita Map Turtle can be found in the main channels and tributaries of the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. No specific conservation status information was mentioned, but they are vulnerable to the general threats impacting turtle populations.

Cumberland Slider:

The Cumberland Slider is common in southeastern Tennessee, particularly around the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. While they are popular as pets, they face threats from vehicles as females often cross roads and streets during breeding and nesting. They are also preyed upon by wading birds, alligators, raccoons, marsupials, skunks, and coyotes.

Red-eared Slider:

The Red-eared Slider is native to Tennessee and is considered one of the most invasive turtle species due to its semi-aquatic survival skills and ability to outcompete native species.

Yellow-bellied Slider:

The Yellow-bellied Slider is found in southeastern Tennessee in rivers and wetlands. They are social but shy away from handling and can become aggressive when threatened. No specific conservation status information was provided.

Southern Painted Turtle:

The Southern Painted Turtle is one of the most widespread aquatic turtles native to Tennessee. They are considered vulnerable due to the consumption of their hatchlings and eggs by snakes and rodents.

Eastern Painted Turtle:

No specific conservation status information was found for the Eastern Painted Turtle. However, they are common in Tennessee and are popular as pet turtles in the state.

Common Musk Turtle:

The Common Musk Turtle, also known as the Stinkpot, can be found in many regions of Tennessee except for central and northeastern areas. No specific conservation status information was provided.

Striped-necked Musk Turtle:

The Striped-necked Musk Turtle is a subspecies of the Loggerhead Musk Turtle and is found in eastern Tennessee. No specific conservation status information was mentioned.

Eastern Mud Turtle:

The Eastern Mud Turtle is found in most regions of Tennessee, except for certain river drainages. They are among the smallest turtles globally and are popular as pets due to their minimal requirements and ease of care. No specific conservation status information was provided.

Alligator Snapping Turtle:

The Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle species in the world and is found in western Tennessee. While no specific conservation status is mentioned, they are impacted by human activities and habitat degradation like other turtle species.

Frequently asked questions