Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Mississippi map turtle
Active and shy; needs strong filtration and a high basking spot.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Mississippi map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Mississippi map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Mississippi map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Active and shy; needs strong filtration and a high basking spot. Eats small fish.
Check your local laws. US: live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length and viable eggs may not be sold or distributed commercially (FDA, 21 CFR 1240.62; exceptions for science/education/exhibition, non-business transfers and export). CITES: all map turtles (Graptemys spp.) are in Appendix II since 23 Feb 2023, so international trade needs CITES permits. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Needs a basking dock with UV and heat lamp and deep water. Never house with fish.
- wood
Food
Pellets, snails, shrimp and vegetables.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Males are much smaller (shell 9-15 cm vs 15-27 cm) with long front claws and a long tail with the vent behind the shell rim; females are much larger.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate
Mates in the water in spring (mostly April-May). From June to July females come ashore to sandy beaches, field edges or open loose soil and dig a flask-shaped nest 9-15 cm deep. Mississippi map turtles lay only about 2-8 eggs per female; eggs hatch after about 2 months, in late summer or early autumn.
Pair in a large tank.
Large aquarium with strong filter and basking dock.
Winter cooling.
About 2-8 eggs per female (Mississippi map subspecies; northern false map turtles lay 8-22); incubation about 2 months.
Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.
- Undersized tank and weak filtration
- No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
- Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the mississippi map turtle
A river turtle of the lower Mississippi basin with a keeled, saw-edged shell and a yellow crescent behind each eye. Females grow far larger than males. Very wary, it basks for hours on logs and dives at the first disturbance.
Georg Baur described this map turtle in 1890. It lives in the Mississippi valley. Its shell markings resemble map contour lines.
First described by Georg Baur in 1890.
- Its shell markings look like map lines.
- Females are much larger than males.
- It basks on logs.
Sources
10 facts checked with sources
- Scientific namecorrected
Reptile (aquatic turtle), not a fish. "Graptemys kohnii" is an old species-level name; the Mississippi map turtle is a subspecies of the false map turtle, G. pseudogeographica kohnii (Baur, 1890). Easily confused with the northern false map turtle, the Ouachita map turtle and intergrades in the trade. Reptile Database quotes (pseudogeographica page) are from the fetch tool's reading.
The Reptile Database: search for Graptemys kohnii · The Reptile Database: Graptemys pseudogeographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Familycorrected
New value.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Size
Carapace length, species-level figures (both subspecies). Females 15-27 cm, males only 9-15 cm. Legacy 25 cm is a large female.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) · Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): False Map Turtle - Lifespan
Species-level maxima (30-35 years); legacy 20-30 falls within. Lower bound not sourced.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Where it livescorrected
New value. INHS also reports a few Illinois River drainage animals with the kohnii head pattern.
The Reptile Database: Graptemys pseudogeographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Male or female
Legacy agrees on size and claws. Legacy "female ... with a broad head" is not stated in sources for this subspecies (it is typical of the broad-headed map turtles, not false map turtles).
Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): False Map Turtle · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Breedingcorrected
Legacy "lays 4-10 eggs in sand": the subspecies figure is 2-8; nests are in sand or other loose soil.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy said 4-10 eggs.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - Story
Legacy claims (Mississippi basin river turtle, keeled shell, females much larger) are supported.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern False Map Turtle (covers both subspecies incl. Mississippi map turtle; government) - traits.legalcorrected
Corrected by the coordinator of this check: the CoP19 proposal as submitted covered five broad-headed species, but the USFWS reports that the adopted listing covers all map turtles (Appendix II, in force 23 Feb 2023).
eCFR 21 CFR 1240.62 Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements · USFWS press release: Critical progress at CITES CoP19 (Nov 2022) · USFWS: Ancient reptiles need modern regulations