Alabama Map Turtle
The map turtle is more consistent with the Slider and painted turtles have similar body shapes. However, unlike these turtles, the map turtle has a prominent ridge in its carapace. In many breeds, this ridge is more like a large spur or knob extending upward and backward. This characteristic gave the map turtle another common name: the saw-toothed turtle.
The marginal shield at the rear of the carapace of most map turtles also extends backward, making the rear edge of the carapace appear sharply jagged. Some species have large heads and jaws that allow them to crush snails and other molluscs. Finally, the most eye-catching features are the characteristic thin lines on their skin and scutes, which is where the name "map turtle" comes from, because they are visible like contour lines and road traffic on a map. Picture, this is beyond the reach of other turtles.
The male Alabama map turtle is 31/2~5" (8.9~12.7cm) long; the female is 7~111/2" (17.8~29.2 cm). The carapace is olive to dark green, with a black stripe along the center of the vertebral shield, and spine-like protrusions on the spine (except for huge female turtles). The rib shield has a network pattern formed by yellow to orange lines, surrounded by black trim, while the marginal shield has short light lines, or a "C" shaped pattern. The plastron is yellow, with a black border along the intersection of the scutes.
There are no protrusions on the thoracic and ventral shields. There are huge yellow or yellow-green patches behind the eyes, and even scattered scattered on the top of the head. These patches and freckles may intersect. There are long or short stripes from the top of the lower jaw to the back of the eyes. Adult females are much larger than males and develop very large heads.
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