Over the years I have found that there are a several turtle species in North Texas that I consistently have difficulty identifying. Information online concerning these turtles has proven to be sparse, confusing, and unreliable. I always find it difficult to sort through.
On the rare occasions when I do photograph one of these turtles, the effort to track down a good ID always turns into a sizable chore. To make matters worse, I typically forget the important diagnostic details promptly after I complete whatever turtle related project I happened to be working on at the time. That means I am required to do the research all over again every time I encounter one of these hard-to-identify reptiles.
What I really need is a good place to keep all of the pertinent information in a handy location, so that I don’t have to research as long and hard the next time I come across an unrecognized turtle. That kind of repository is what I hope this post will provide.
In this article, I have collected relevant information about the different turtle species found in the DFW area. For each entry, an infographic is provided describing important characteristics used to determine which turtle species has been observed. With a little luck, that will make identifications easier going forward.
I’ve included information for all native species of turtles that can be found in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area–a total of sixteen different species. Both terrestrial and aquatic turtles are covered…