River cooter
A species of Cooters, Also known as Coastal plain cooter, Suwannee river cooter Scientific name : Pseudemys concinna Genus : Cooters
River cooter, A species of Cooters
Also known as:
Coastal plain cooter, Suwannee river cooter
Scientific name: Pseudemys concinna
Genus: Cooters
Content
Description General Info
Photo By thrashedout , used under CC-BY-NC-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The river cooter (Pseudemys concinna) is a freshwater turtle native to the central and eastern United States, from Virginia south to mid-Georgia, west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and north to southern Indiana. They are usually found in rivers with moderate current, as well as lakes and tidal marshes.
General Info
Lifespan
20-40 years
Diet
River cooter primarily indulges in an omnivorous diet, favoring aquatic vegetation like algae. It also consumes invertebrates, including insects and mollusks, supplementing its diet with occasional carrion.
Appearance
River cooter is a sizable freshwater turtle, its shell a tapered oval, and its skin textured. Its carapace exhibits variations of yellow, orange, and green, with markings that can resemble hieroglyphics. Females are larger, with a shell length of up to 16 inches, compared to the males' 10 inches. The skin coloration matches its shell but includes more distributed yellow and cream marks.
Behavior
River cooter are semi-aquatic, predominantly herbivorous turtles best known for their basking and foraging activities. They typically maintain solitary manners, though non-aggressive communal basking behavior is common. They exhibit fairly sedentary behavior with limited migratory tendencies, remaining within selected habitats. River cooter’s territorial behaviors are defensively functional rather than aggressively protective; they dive into water when alarmed.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Reptiles Order
Testudines Family
Terrapins Genus
Cooters Species
River cooter 
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