The Freshwater Turtles Of South Carolina

Carolina Diamondback terrapin

South Carolina is home to fourteen native species of freshwater turtle. Four out of the seven sea turtle species are endemic to South Carolina. With its mild climate and wilderness areas, it offers some perfect turtle habitats.

Turtles And The Law In South Carolina

As always, we suggest that you check with your state authorities before you decide to keep turtles. It’s good to keep on the right side of the wildlife laws.

Can I Keep A Pet Turtle In South Carolina?

You can keep a pet turtle in South Carolina, except for the gopher tortoise (not a turtle, but we mention it here just in case) and the bog turtle. You can’t keep more than two diamondback terrapins, and if you want to have a spotted turtle, you will need to get a permit from the state.

Is There New Legislation On Turtles In South Carolina?

Yes, there is some relatively new legislation that was passed in October 2020. The Native Reptiles and Amphibians Act makes smuggling native turtles out of state, and bringing non-native turtles into the state without permission, illegal. This is designed to protect the native turtle species of South Carolina and has been warmly welcomed by environmental groups. You can find out more information on the thinking behind this act here.

Can I Sell Turtles In South Carolina?

There are strong restrictions on the sale of turtles, and the following species may not be sold:

  • Yellow Belly turtle
  • Florida Cooter
  • River Cooter
  • Chicken turtle
  • Eastern Box turtle
  • Eastern Painted turtle
  • Spiny Softshell turtle
  • Florida Softshell turtle
  • Common Snapping turtle

You may not sell any of the seven sea turtle species. You are not permitted to move or transport more than ten yellowbelly or common snapping turtles at a time, without permission from the state.

Does The Four Inch Law Apply In South Carolina?

To protect human health and also to protect very young turtles, the Federal Four-Inch Law was created. It means that you cannot sell or be in possession of a turtle that has a carapace length of less than four inches in length.

As it is a Federal law, yes, it does apply to South Carolina. Here is the reference to the law: Code of federal regulations, title 21, volume 8, part 1240 ‘Control of communicable diseases’, subpart D ‘Specific Administrative Decisions Regarding Interstate Shipments’, section 1240.62 ‘Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements.

Bog Turtle

Bog Turtle Glyptemys muhlenbergii

The bog turtle grows to just 4 ½” long, and can live to be over sixty years old. This little cutie is easily identified by its small size and by the vivid orange splashes on the sides of its head. They like very specific environments. They love to live in wet, grassy meadows with plenty of tussocky grass which offers shelter but allows the sunlight to warm the soil. The soil should be acidic, with deep leaf litter, moss, and wet. It is the loss of these kinds of habitats, in part, that has led to the decline in bog turtle numbers.

The kind of mountain bog habitat that bog turtles need is also home to other endangered species. It’s important that turtle lovers in South Carolina are advocates for the preservation of these kinds of threatened areas.

Carolina Diamondback terrapin

Carolina Diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin centrata

The Carolina diamondback terrapin is probably one of the most recognized turtles. It’s often simply known as a terrapin. An extremely beautiful turtle, it can be recognized by the intricate patterning on its carapace, although there are a wide variety of colors from gray to black. The plastron can be yellow, orange, or grayish-green. Juveniles are usually more brightly colored and clearly marked than adults.

Female Carolina diamondback turtles grow to 9″ long, the males are much smaller, growing to not much more than 5″ long. The hatchlings, which look rather like little toys, are a mere inch long, and of course, are very vulnerable to predators. They can only live in brackish water and are considered to be the only turtles that have this characteristic.

They hibernate during the winter and are very active during the spring, summer, and fall. Loss of habitat, road deaths, pollution, and capture for the pet trade, have all led to this pretty little creature having near-threatened status on the Red List.

Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus

Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus

The common musk turtle is often known as the stinkpot. The reason for this unfortunate nickname is the bad, skunk-like smell that the musk turtle releases if it is scared and trying to ward off predators.

They have a plain gray, brown, or black upper shell, or carapace, which is rather high and domed. You will often find them with algae growing on their shell. The plastron, or lower shell, is rather small and doesn’t offer much in the way of protection.

The head and neck feature yellow or greenish stripes and this guy only grows to around 5″ long, weighing in at a little less than ¾ lb. Males have longer tails than females and have a spike on the end of the tail. It has a pointed head and barbels on the throat and chin.

Generally not a very good swimmer, it does however spend most of its time in the water, coming out occasionally to bask, forage, and of course, lay its eggs. The common musk turtle likes to climb, and can often be seen enjoying the sun on a branch sticking out of the water. They favor shallow water where they can paddle; ponds, slow-moving streams, and wetlands, and look for places that have a muddy bottom.

Central America Snapping turtle

Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentine

From the tiny, we now turn to the large. The common snapping turtle can grow up to 70 lb in weight. Males grow larger than females. Individuals have been known to live for over a hundred years. A large specimen can grow to 14″ long, and it can be recognized by its large head, which might have barbels, its long neck, and its extremely strong and powerful legs. It’s the long neck of this turtle that gives it its Latin name – serpentine – meaning snake-like.

Although they can be very aggressive when on land when they are in the water they tend to flee from danger. They prefer water that has a muddy bottom which they use as a hiding place.

Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina carolina

The Eastern box turtle is one of the family of box turtles. Box turtles can hinge up their plastron, or lower shell, forming a tight box to protect the head, legs, and tail of the turtle. This turtle grows to around 5″ in length, and has a dark shell, brown or black, with bright orange markings that fade as the turtle gets older. These small turtles can live to be thirty years of age.

They can be found in woodland, grassy meadows, and scrub, but are always within reach of fresh water. When the temperatures get high, they find a soft place to burrow and find a cooler temperature below ground. They enjoy eating insects, mollusks, and crustaceans, and they also eat a bit of vegetation.

Eastern Chicken

Eastern Chicken Turtle Deirochelys reticularia reticularia

The Eastern chicken turtle is one of two subspecies of the chicken turtle, the other being the Florida chicken turtle. It has a rather beautiful lemon-colored network pattern on a carapace of dark olive green. Sometimes known as the American snake-necked turtle, as you might guess they have a long snake-like neck that enables them to view their surroundings to spot potential food or danger. Their neck can be almost as long as their body and this is also what gives the turtle its name.

They are the largest of the chicken turtle sub-species, growing up to six inches long. They inhabit shallow water, avoiding rivers and lakes where large predators might lurk. They spend as much as six months of the year on land. The population of the eastern chicken turtle is secure, and not in immediate danger.

Eastern Mud Turtle

Eastern Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum

The Eastern mud turtle is often just called the common mud turtle. Even though this turtle only grows to be 4″ long, they are known for having a ferocious bite. Although they are toothless, they have very strong jaws that can bear down hard on a careless finger. They live to be over fifty years old. Although you are allowed to keep Eastern mud turtles in North Carolina, you need to find an adult so that you don’t break the 4″ law.

These turtles are avid swimmers, and they enjoy living in rivers with gravel bottoms. These form their favorite hunting grounds, where they search for insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and more. They are known to be exceptionally messy eaters, so if you plan to keep one as a pet, be sure that you have an excellent filtration system in your aquarium.

Eastern Painted Turtle

Eastern Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta picta

The Eastern painted turtle is a rather lovely creature, with a dark shell patterned with light red stripes and edges to its carapace. They can grow to 7″ long, the females tending to be larger than the males. This pretty turtle is very popular as a pet.

They have distinctive yellow and brown striped heads and faces, and they are water lovers, often being found close to the shore. They can even tolerate brackish water. They hibernate during the winter, and they spend most of their life in the water.

Because the shells of their eggs are very hard, they are not easily eaten by predators, and so hatching rates are good. This means that they are not considered to be under threat, as they can keep up their numbers with their successful reproduction strategy.

Eastern River Cooter

Eastern River Cooter Pseudemys concinna concinna

The Eastern river cooter is one of the bigger turtles that you can spot in South Carolina. Adults can grow to 16 in length. They have dark shells and look out for a “C” shaped mark at the back of the carapace. The plastron, or lower shell, is yellow or orange in color with darker markings which are more prominent on younger animals.

The Eastern river cooter has a very unusual attribute. They have a sac at the end of their tails, called the cloaca bursae. This sac allows them to breathe underwater. Because they can stay underwater for long periods, they can be hard to spot and study.

They prefer living in clear, deep, flowing water, unlike many turtles that typically enjoy slow-moving water. Their diet is unusual too, being mainly water plants and algae, with the odd insect thrown in.

Florida Cooter

Florida Cooter Pseudemys floridana floridana

Also known as the coastal plain cooter, this turtle makes its home in the coastal plain of the southern United States. Typically growing to a carapace length of thirteen inches, and weighing around seven pounds, this medium to large-sized turtle has a very beautiful pale yellow plastron. With a dark brown carapace, dark skin, and yellow striped head and neck, it does not have the characteristic U-shaped cusp on its upper jaw. This distinguishes it from the red belly cooter, to which it is related. It’s a herbivore and likes to live in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams and rivers. Unfortunately, it has been extensively hunted for its tasty meat, and it is now protected.

Florida Softshell Turtle

Florida Softshell Turtle Apalone ferox

This is one of the turtle species that exhibits sexual dimorphism. In other words, the males and the females look distinctly different. In this case, the difference is in size. Males grow to just 12″ long, whereas females can grow to twice the size – 24″ long. The theory is that the females need to be bigger to accommodate egg production.

In color, the Florida soft shell turtle has dark brown or green carapace with a gray or white plastron, or lower shell. They prefer large expanses of water with a sandy bottom. As the name suggests, this is a Florida native species. If you want to find out more about the conservation and rescue of this turtle, check out The Florida soft shell rescue.

Gopher Tortoise

Gopher Tortoise Gopherus polyphemus

Although this is strictly speaking a tortoise, we include it in this list out of interest. The gopher tortoise loves to burrow, and it is considered an anchor species in the ecosystem, as the burrows it builds become homes for at least 360 other species. The gopher tortoise is strictly protected in South Carolina.

Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell

Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle Apalone spinifera aspera

Not to be confused with its smooth relative, this turtle is found all along the freshwaters of the Gulf Coast. They live in rivers, ponds, lakes, bays, and marches. They prefer water that is open without too much vegetation or obstruction, and they need access to a raised sandy area for nest making.

Along the edge of the carapace, you will see small spines. The carapace itself is dark brown in color with black lines running along the edge of the shell. The neck and head are brown and have yellow markings. Males grow to 9″ long, females to 18″. They can live to be fifty years old or more. During the day they enjoy sinning themselves on rocks or logs. They also hunt and feed during the day, enjoying grubbing under submerged logs for whatever snack they can find.

Striped Mud Turtle Kinosternon baurii

This tiny turtle grows to just four inches long. Although it is called striped, in South Carolina the striped turtle has lost its characteristic three longitudinal stripes. If they are present, they are very faint. There may be a stripe along the side of the head. They prefer shallow, slow-moving water, blackwater creeks, and cypress ponds. Unlike all other South Carolina turtles, they nest in the fall months. They are found mainly in the eastern part of the state.

Spotted Turtle

Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata

This is rather a little guy that will reach a carapace length of only 5″. The spotted turtle derives its name from the primrose spots which freckle its black or very dark brown shell. They can be found in shallow water, and they spend most of their time in the water. They are omnivores and live on a diet of insects, crustaceans, tadpoles, small reptiles, worms, and vegetation.

Yelllow belly

Yellowbelly Slider Trachemys scripta scripta

This slider is so called because, like all sliders, it slides back into the water when startled. The carapace of this turtle is brown, sometimes striped in yellow, and the plastron is yellow – hence the name. they sometimes exhibit an “S” shaped marking on their face. Females can grow to 13″ long, but the males only reach around 9″. They can live to be forty years old. Found mainly in places where there is lots of vegetation, algae, debris rafts, and lily pads, the yellowbelly slider has a diet of small crustaceans, fish, mollusks, insects, and tadpoles.

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