Fauna Flora Photography

Northern Map Turtle Graptemys geographica

An aquatic turtle endemic to Montreal although not very frequent. Loves to warm up on stones reaching out of the water surface.

Specs

Length13cm male, 23cm female
Weight230g male, 680g female

Common Names

GermanLandkarten-Höckerschildkröte
EnglishNorthern Map Turtle
FrenchTortue géographique
SpanishTortuga mapa del norte

Taxonomy

OrderTestudines
FamilyEmydidae
SpeciesGraptemys geographica

How to Identify

Tricky to identify as this species looks very similar to the Painted Turtle. The lack of red color on skin and along the border of the carapace is a hint. The turtle shows clearly viewable light markings on skin.

Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) - Parc des Rapides - 2017-04-29

Where and When to Spot

I saw this turtle species only once in Rapids Park Lachine at a spot which is usually occupied by Painted Turtles.

SpringSummerFallWinter
Parc Angrignon x - - -

Where and when a species has been observed, identified, and recorded.

Last updated on 2024-03-14. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.