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Encyclopedia / Turtles / Ouachita map turtle
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Variations

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Ouachita map turtle

Graptemys ouachitensis · Ouachita map, Sabine map, Ouachita

Active, shy and needs clean water; may eat small fish.

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24 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Ouachita map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Ouachita map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Ouachita map turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ?Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 4–6 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Active, shy and needs clean water; may eat 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.

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Food

Pellets, snails and vegetation.

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Male or female

Males are much smaller (shell 7.5-14 cm vs up to 24 cm) with long front claws and the vent behind the shell rim; females are 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 from early April through May (some autumn mating). From May into July females lay 2-3 clutches of about 6-15 eggs in open sandy or loose soil, usually at dusk or dawn. Eggs hatch in late summer or early autumn; embryos and hatchlings make clicking sounds in the nest.

Pairing

Pair.

Setup

Large tank with basking spot.

What starts it

Winter cooling.

Eggs

About 6-15 eggs per clutch in Missouri (about 19 per clutch in Illinois), 2-3 clutches a season; eggs about 35 x 22 mm, hatching in late summer or early autumn.

Raising the fry

Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.

Common mistakes
  • Undersized tank and weak filtration
  • No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
  • Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionCentral USA – Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee drainages
Rivers and lakesOuachita River and Mississippi tributaries
HabitatRivers with logs for basking
Native rangeAbout 800 km across
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The story of the ouachita map turtle

A map turtle of large central US rivers, olive with a road-map pattern of yellow lines, a keeled saw-edged shell and a large, wide yellow mark behind each eye plus yellow spots under the eye and on the jaw. It basks on logs over the water and rarely comes onto land except to nest.

American herpetologist Fred Cagle described this map turtle in 1953. It was named after the Ouachita River. It is common in rivers of the central US.

First described by Fred R. Cagle in 1953. Named for Named after the Ouachita River.

  • Females are much larger than males.
  • It has light spots on its head.
  • It basks on logs in rivers.

Sources

9 facts checked with sources