Turtles Near Me › Mississippi

Turtles in Mississippi

The quickest way to know which turtles live in Mississippi is to see what people are actually finding. The map below shows recent, verified turtles sightings across Mississippi, and the list beneath it is the turtles recorded most often there lately. Spring and early summer are the best time to find them basking or crossing roads to nest. If you help one across, send it the way it was already heading and never move it somewhere new.

Recent research-grade sightings from the iNaturalist community, filtered to turtles across Mississippi.

Turtles seen most often in Mississippi

Ranked by recent research-grade observations. Tap any species Huck has catalogued for how to identify it, its habitat, and its safety notes.

Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
3,497 observations
Common Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
2,124 observations
Three-toed Box Turtle
Terrapene triunguis
1,161 observations
River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
1,114 observations
Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
720 observations
Eastern Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus
540 observations
Eastern Mud Turtle
Kinosternon subrubrum
520 observations
Gopher Tortoise
Gopherus polyphemus
309 observations
Ringed Map Turtle
Graptemys oculifera
239 observations · iNaturalist
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
181 observations
Florida Softshell Turtle
Apalone ferox
139 observations
Pearl River Map Turtle
Graptemys pearlensis
137 observations · iNaturalist
Razor-backed Musk Turtle
Sternotherus carinatus
134 observations
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Macrochelys temminckii
117 observations
Diamondback Terrapin
Malaclemys terrapin
88 observations
Southern Painted Turtle
Chrysemys dorsalis
77 observations
Yellow-blotched Map Turtle
Graptemys flavimaculata
76 observations · iNaturalist
Pascagoula Map Turtle
Graptemys gibbonsi
74 observations · iNaturalist
Mississippi Mud Turtle
Kinosternon hippocrepis
67 observations · iNaturalist
Stripe-necked Musk Turtle
Sternotherus peltifer
55 observations

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and the ranking reflects where people record wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily common everywhere in Mississippi. Treat this as a live snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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More wildlife in Mississippi

All wildlife in MississippiSnakes in MississippiFrogs in MississippiLizards in MississippiSalamanders in MississippiOwls in MississippiButterflies in MississippiSpiders in MississippiWildflowers in Mississippi

Looking more widely? See turtles near you anywhere in the country.

Common questions

What turtles live in Mississippi?

Commonly recorded turtles in Mississippi include Pond Slider, Common Box Turtle, Three-toed Box Turtle, River Cooter, Common Snapping Turtle, based on recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. The full list below is ranked by how often each has been seen lately.

When is the best time to see turtles in Mississippi?

Spring and early summer are the best time to find them basking or crossing roads to nest. Recent verified sightings across Mississippi are the most reliable guide to what is active right now.

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