Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Northern map turtle
Shy and needs cooler water with strong flow; a fish eater.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Northern map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Northern map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Northern map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Shy and needs cooler water with strong flow; a fish eater.
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., including G. geographica) are in Appendix II since 23 Feb 2023, so international trade needs CITES permits. State protection: endangered in Kansas, Kentucky and Maryland. 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 worms.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Females are much larger (17.5-27 cm vs 10-16 cm) with broad heads; males have long thick tails with the vent behind the shell rim and long front claws.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate
Egg layer: females nest on land from late May to mid-July (peak June), digging flask-shaped nests in sand or soft soil; usually two clutches (1-3) a season. Courtship and mating happen in spring and autumn.
Pair.
Large aquarium with a basking spot.
Winter cooling.
6-17 eggs per clutch (about 12 typical), 1-3 clutches a year; incubation about 75 days.
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 northern map turtle
The most widespread map turtle in the USA, reaching north into southern Quebec and Ontario. Named for the map-like yellow lines on its shell; big-headed females crush snails and clams, and the species has been seen active under winter ice.
French naturalist Charles Lesueur described the northern map turtle in 1817. It is the most widespread and northern map turtle. Its shell markings resemble map lines.
First described by Charles A. Lesueur in 1817.
- Females have strong jaws for crushing mussels.
- It is the most northern map turtle.
- It basks in groups on logs.
Sources
9 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Reptile (aquatic turtle), not a fish. Valid name; no subspecies (INHS: 'Subspecies: None recognized.'). Formerly called the 'common map turtle' (MDC). Easily confused with the false map turtle G. pseudogeographica and Ouachita map turtle G. ouachitensis; the northern map has a small isolated spot behind the eye.
Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): Northern Map Turtle · The Reptile Database: Graptemys geographica - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
The Reptile Database: Graptemys geographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government) - Size
Carapace length (CL). 27 cm is a large female; males only 10-16 cm. MDC's upper female figure 11.5 in = 29 cm; INHS gives up to 24 cm.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Graptemys geographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government) · Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): Northern Map Turtle - Where it livescorrected
New value. Habitat: large rivers and lakes with rocky or gravel bottoms and basking sites; avoids rapid currents (ToW). Established non-native population in the Czech Republic (MDC).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Graptemys geographica · The Reptile Database: Graptemys geographica - Male or femaleTurtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Graptemys geographica · Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): Northern Map Turtle
- Breedingcorrected
Legacy breeding text only said 'Lays 10-20 eggs'; legacy trigger 'Winter cooling' fits a temperate species that overwinters on river bottoms (MDC) but no source frames it as a breeding trigger. Females mature late (about 10 years, MDC; at least 10-14 years per ToW).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Graptemys geographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government) · Illinois Natural History Survey (University of Illinois): Northern Map Turtle - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 10-20 eggs; sources give 6-17 (MDC 6-15, ToW 9-17, INHS about 12). Sex depends on incubation temperature: 25 °C mostly males, 30.5 °C mostly females (ToW).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Graptemys geographica · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government) - Story
Legacy 'large map turtle from the northern USA and Canada, tolerant of cooler water' is supported in substance, though sources call it medium-sized (INHS, MDC). Declining in parts of its range; endangered in Kansas, Kentucky and Maryland (MDC).
Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government) · The Reptile Database: Graptemys geographica - traits.legalcorrected
US: FDA rule 21 CFR 1240.62 bans selling, holding for sale or distributing live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length and viable eggs; exceptions include bona fide scientific/educational/exhibition use (not as pets), non-business transfers and export-only shipments. Legacy said 'CITES Appendix III': that was the 2006 US Appendix III listing of Graptemys; since CoP19 (effective 23 Feb 2023) the genus is in Appendix II. The legacy Salmonella hygiene advice is sensible but was not separately sourced here (the rule itself is the FDA's Salmonella measure).
eCFR: 21 CFR 1240.62 Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements (US FDA) · USFWS press release: Critical Progress as CITES CoP19 Comes to a Close (Nov 2022) · USFWS: Ancient Reptiles Need Modern Regulations: The Case for Including U.S. Turtles on CITES Appx. II · Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Map Turtle (government)