Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Scorpion mud turtle
Calm but a fish eater; keep alone.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Scorpion mud turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Scorpion mud turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Scorpion mud turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Calm but a fish eater; keep alone.
Check your local laws. CITES Appendix II: K. scorpioides was among the Kinosternon species listed at CoP19 (November 2022), so international trade needs CITES permits. In the US, the FDA ban on selling live turtles under 4 in (10.2 cm) shell length also applies. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Needs a land area.
- wood
Food
Pellets, snails, worms and fish.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Males have a long, thick tail ending in a horny spine and a slightly concave plastron; females have a short, spineless tail, a flat plastron and a broader shell.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate
Females lay small clutches of elongated, brittle-shelled eggs in a shallow nest on land; South American animals lay about 1-6 eggs, which hatch after about 3-6 months. Sex is set by incubation temperature.
Pair.
Large tank with land.
Seasonal rain cycles.
About 1-6 eggs per clutch (South American K. scorpioides); incubation about 3-6 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 scorpion mud turtle
A large mud turtle with three keels on its shell and a horny spine at the tail tip (the "scorpion"). It lives in shallow, often seasonal waters from Panama to northern Argentina, splitting its time between water and land and burying itself in mud when pools dry up. In Pará, Brazil, it is a traditional food ("casquinha de muçuã").
Carl Linnaeus described the scorpion mud turtle in 1766. It has a huge range from Mexico to South America. Its tail ends in a spine, giving its name.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766.
- Its tail ends in a sharp spine.
- It can close its shell with hinged plates.
- It has a very large range.
Sources
10 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Reptile (aquatic turtle), not a fish. Linnaeus, 1766. Name valid but the species has been split: Mexican and Central American populations are now K. cruentatum (red-cheeked mud turtle), K. albogulare (white-throated mud turtle) and K. abaxillare (Hurtado-Gómez et al. 2024 and earlier). Many "scorpion mud turtles" in the trade, especially red-cheeked animals, are therefore K. cruentatum, not K. scorpioides. Reptile Database quotes are from the fetch tool's reading of the page.
The Reptile Database: Kinosternon scorpioides - Familycorrected
New value.
The Reptile Database: Kinosternon scorpioides · PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides - Size
Carapace length. The South American nominate form (now the whole species) reaches 27 cm; the 17.5 cm figure in the same account covers the old broad species including smaller Central American forms; INPA (Brazil) gives up to 20 cm. Legacy 25 cm is within range but most adults are smaller.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis): Kinosternon scorpioides · PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides - Swimming level
Bottom-walker in water; also spends time on land, so it needs a land area.
PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides - Where it livescorrected
Legacy "Central and South America" reflects the old broad species (Tamaulipas, Mexico to Argentina per Turtles of the World); under current taxonomy Central America north of Panama is excluded.
The Reptile Database: Kinosternon scorpioides · Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis): Kinosternon scorpioides - Male or female
Legacy agrees.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis): Kinosternon scorpioides - Breedingcorrected
Legacy "lays 2-5 eggs" is close. Clutches of 6-16 eggs reported for Mexico (Alvarez del Toro 1960, in Turtles of the World) refer to forms now split off and may be follicle counts.
PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides · Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis): Kinosternon scorpioides - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy said 2-5 eggs.
PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides · Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis): Kinosternon scorpioides - Storycorrected
Legacy "large mud turtle from Central and South America; semi-aquatic and walks on land readily": range now excludes Central America north of Panama; the rest is supported.
PPBio / INPA (Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research): Kinosternon scorpioides - traits.legalcorrected
Prop. 29 quote is from the fetch tool's reading of the PDF. FDA rule 21 CFR 1240.62: no commercial sale or distribution of live turtles under 4 in (10.2 cm) carapace length or of viable turtle eggs; exceptions for bona fide scientific, educational or exhibition use (not pets), sales not in connection with a business, and export-only shipments. The Salmonella hand-washing advice in the legacy text is reasonable but was not checked against a source. Legacy "some populations are protected" is vague; national laws in range countries were not checked.
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (IISD): CITES CoP19 daily report, 23 November 2022 · USARK: 2022 CITES (CoP19 turtle listings summary) · CITES CoP19 Prop. 29 (Mexico): inclusion of Kinosternon spp. in Appendix II · eCFR: 21 CFR 1240.62 Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements (FDA)