The semiaquatic River Cooter is characterized by a short tail, a smooth, rigid upper and lower shell, an upper shell with a roughly jagged rear edge, and a dark head with numerous yellow stripes. The upper shell is dark gray or black with a network of yellow lines. The lower shell is light yellow or tan-yellow, generally with no markings except in very young turtles. The head, limbs, and tail are dark gray or black with narrow yellow lines. Adult males are smaller than females and have long claws on the front limbs.
Adults are normally 190-305 mm (7½-12 inches) in carapace length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 223471) from Labette County with a carapace length of 360 mm (14¼ inches) collected by Alan Hynek on 24 April 1996. The maximum carapace length throughout the range is 374.7 mm (14¾ inches) (Powell et al., 2016).
The River Cooter inhabits rivers, streams, watershed lakes, ponds, and lagoons in southeastern Kansas. It is known from the Marais des Cygnes, Neosho/Spring, Verdigris/Fall, Walnut, and lower Arkansas drainages. The record mapped in Collins (1994) from Crawford County is unknown and not mapped. A population (most likely introduced) has become established and is reproducing, at Wyandotte County Lake (Missouri River drainage).
This turtle inhabits large streams, rivers, and lakes. It prefers still or slow-moving water with a soft bottom, abundant vegetation, and plenty of logs and brush on which to bask in the sun. The River Cooter is active during the day from March to September. It apparently forages for food in the morning and evening, spending at least some of the midday hidden under the water. At night, it generally sleeps beneath the water on the soft bottom or occasionally may search for food. This turtle is more land-roving than other aquatic turtles, using the sun as a compass for orientation. It is killed frequently while crossing highways. Clarke (1958) reported a female of this species found crossing a road near a lake in Crawford County and speculated that the turtle was on land to lay eggs.
Nothing is known of courtship behavior for this species in Kansas. Nesting occurs in June, each female emerging from the water to find an area of soft earth in which to lay 12- 29 elongate white eggs. Depending on soil temperature, the eggs hatch in 80- 150 days. The young may stay in the nest during the winter and emerge the following spring.
Adult River Cooters feed primarily on aquatic vegetation. The young will eat meat, but their diet changes to plants as they grow older.
Predators of this species are hogs, raccoons, skunks, and opossums, which eat the eggs; and large birds, fishes, snakes, other turtles, and mammals, which eat the young. People are the chief predators of adults.
First reported from Kansas by Burt and Hoyle (1934) based a young specimen (listed as Pseudemys texana) taken by seine at Sandy Creek, a branch of the Verdigris River, at a point 5.5 miles northeast of Coyville, in southern Woodson County, Kansas by Charles E. Burt, on 27 June 1931. The oldest existing specimen from Kansas is KU 3744, collected at Neosho Falls, Woodson County, on 26 July 1926.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this turtle of nineteen years and five months.
References
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