Fun Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Facts For Kids

The Mexican giant musk turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus) is the largest of all turtle species belonging to the Kinosternidae family of the kingdom of Animalia. It is gray-brown, black, drab olive, or green, with a large head, yellow underside, and the carapace is typically arched by three longitudinal ridges or keels. It is found in northeastern Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, Venezuela. It is also found in Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Yucatan Peninsula, and Veracruz in Mexico. The habitat of these turtles is predominated by the slow-moving freshwater rivers. It is commonly referred to as a stinkpot or musky turtle because of the smell that it excretes from its glands at the rear of its shell. It is generally known to be aggressive but there is no reported incident where it is known to cause any direct harm to human beings. The reproduction process of these turtles is oviparous and dioecious. Their breeding season starts in late fall and winter, which involves chasing and biting from both sexes, but they need to be separated if one of the turtles is extremely rough with the other. The mating process can last from several minutes to an hour, and it might continue throughout the day and sometimes, even at night. The female turtles lay four to 12 elongated, brittle-shelled eggs within 30-60 days of successful mating. The male turtles communicate with the female turtles usually when it’s time to breed, and they do so with the help of their body language and love bites. It is an incredible predator and will eat pretty much anything it catches. Some of its diets include fish, meat, some plants, snails, frogs, pellets, worms, aquatic invertebrates, and carrion. It can also occasionally eat smaller turtles. The average lifespan of these turtles is 33.5 years. However, according to The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the conservation status of these turtles is Near Threatened.For more relatable content, check out these hawksbill sea turtle facts and leatherback sea turtle for kids.

What do they prey on? Fish, aquatic invertebrates, carrion, snails, frogs, worms, smaller turtles

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 4-12

How much do they weigh? 15 lb (6.8 kg)

How long are they? 15 in (38 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Black, gray-brown, green, olive

Skin Type Dry scales

What were their main threats? N/A

What is their conservation status? Near Threatened

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Rivers

Locations Central And South America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Staurotypus

Class Reptilia

Family Kinosternidae

Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a Mexican giant musk turtle?The Mexican giant musk turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus) is a species of turtle belonging to the Kinosternidae family of the kingdom of Animalia.What class of animal does a Mexican giant musk turtle belong to?It belongs to the Reptilia class which includes all turtles.How many Mexican giant musk turtles are there in the world?According to The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the conservation status of these musk turtles is Near Threatened, though the exact number of Mexican giant musk turtles in the world is not known.Where does a Mexican giant musk turtle live?The Mexican musk turtle is found in northeastern Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, Venezuela. It is also found in Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Yucatan Peninsula, and Veracruz in Mexico.What is a Mexican giant musk turtle’s habitat?The habitat of giant musk turtles is predominated by the slow-moving freshwater rivers.Who does the Mexican giant musk turtle live with?While not much is known about its social behavior, a Mexican musk turtle spends most of its time hunting for food.How long does a Mexican giant musk turtle live?The average lifespan of a Mexican musk turtle is 33.5 years.How do they reproduce?The reproduction process of these turtles is oviparous and dioecious. Their breeding season starts in late fall and winter, which involves chasing and biting from both sexes. The mating process can last from several minutes to an hour, and it might continue throughout the day and sometimes, even at night. The female turtles lay 4-12 elongated, brittle-shelled eggs within 30-60 days of successful mating.What is their conservation status?According to The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the conservation status of Mexican musk turtles is Near Threatened.Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Fun FactsWhat does the Mexican giant musk turtle look like?Mexican musk turtles are the largest of all musk turtle species of Kinosternidae, with males being smaller than females. They are gray-brown, black, drab olive, or green, with a large head, yellow underside, and the carapace is typically arched by three longitudinal ridges or keels.How cute are they?The baby giant musk turtles are extremely cute and entertaining.How do they communicate?The male turtles communicate with the female turtles usually when it’s time to breed, and they do so with the help of their body language and bites.How big is a Mexican giant musk turtle?The length of these giant musk turtles is up to 15 in (38 cm). They are almost as tall as snapping turtles.How fast can a Mexican giant musk turtle move?Whilst there is no information provided on the moving speed of these turtles, they are known to be slow.How much does a Mexican giant musk turtle weigh?The giant musk turtles weigh around 15 lb (6.8 kg).What are the male and female names of the species?There are no sex-specific names given to these male and female turtles.What would you call a baby Mexican giant musk turtle?A baby Mexican giant musk turtle would be called a hatchling.What do they eat?These Mexican musk turtles are incredible predators and will eat pretty much anything they catch. Some of their diets include fish, meat, some plants, snails, frogs, pellets, worms, aquatic invertebrates, and carrion. They can also occasionally eat smaller turtles.Are they dangerous?These musk turtles are not known to cause any direct harm to human beings.Would they make a good pet?No, these giant musk turtles are neither friendly, nor can they be easily tamed, so they would not make a good pet.Did you know…The shell of these turtles is supplied with blood vessels and nerves which help them to feel when being touched.These turtles have a highly developed sense of vision that they use to catch their prey, which is why they are known to be incredible predators.Are musk turtles aggressive? Musk turtles are generally aggressive but if the hatchlings are raised communally, it is less likely for them to exhibit aggressive behavior toward other tank mates.How bad do musk turtles smell?These turtles are commonly referred to as stinkpot or musky turtles because of the smell that they excrete from glands at the rear of their shell. Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles including softshell turtle fun facts or rosy boa facts.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our

What type of animal is a Mexican giant musk turtle?

The Mexican giant musk turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus) is a species of turtle belonging to the Kinosternidae family of the kingdom of Animalia.

Fun Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Fish, aquatic invertebrates, carrion, snails, frogs, worms, smaller turtles

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 4-12

How much do they weigh? 15 lb (6.8 kg)

How long are they? 15 in (38 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Black, gray-brown, green, olive

Skin Type Dry scales

What were their main threats? N/A

What is their conservation status? Near Threatened

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Rivers

Locations Central And South America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Staurotypus

Class Reptilia

Family Kinosternidae

Fun Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Fish, aquatic invertebrates, carrion, snails, frogs, worms, smaller turtles

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 4-12

How much do they weigh? 15 lb (6.8 kg)

How long are they? 15 in (38 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Black, gray-brown, green, olive

Skin Type Dry scales

What were their main threats? N/A

What is their conservation status? Near Threatened

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Rivers

Locations Central And South America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Staurotypus

Class Reptilia

Family Kinosternidae

Fun Mexican Giant Musk Turtle Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Fish, aquatic invertebrates, carrion, snails, frogs, worms, smaller turtles

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 4-12

How much do they weigh? 15 lb (6.8 kg)

How long are they? 15 in (38 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Black, gray-brown, green, olive

Skin Type Dry scales

What were their main threats? N/A

What is their conservation status? Near Threatened

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Rivers

Locations Central And South America

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Staurotypus

Class Reptilia

Family Kinosternidae