This turtle was in the middle of the road as I drove home. It was in Quarterman Road, near Redeye Creek, which runs to the Withlacoochee River.

Turtle in road and on the other side

So I carried it to the other side. It was about a foot long.

What kind of turtle is it?

My guess is river cooter, Pseudemys concinna.

Could be the subspecies Suwannee cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis. Or the subspecies Eastern river cooter, Pseudemys concinna concinna first described by my cousin John Eatton LeConte Jr. in 1830.

Or maybe a Florida cooter or some other species.

What do you think? Continue reading →