Size:  Adult size ranges from 3 to 5inches (7-10 cm).
Description:  The shell of the eastern mud turtle is usually smooth and dark brown or olive.  Mud turtles are easily distinguishable from sinilar musk turtles by looking at the underside of the shell (plastron). Mud turtles have a large plastron with two moveable hinges. The head of the eastern mud turtles is often spotted but lacks the yellow or white stripesof the striped mud turtles and common musk turtle. Young mud turtles tend to be darker than the older individuals and hatchlings have reddish or orange blotches on the plastron.
Habitat:  This turtle is semi-aquatic and hence spends more time on land than many other turtles.  Any shallow waterway serves as an ideal environment, including streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and marshes; they have a distinct tolerance to brackish water. Mud turtles are even found in temporary wetlands, burrowing into the mud when the wetland dries. orange plastron.
Diet: Mud turtles feed on a wide variety of aquatic organisms and probably also eat aquatic plants.
Range:  Mud turtles can be found as far north as Long Island, persist south through Florida and around the Gulf coast to eastern parts of Texas.  They are found throughout North Carolina, with the exception of any mountainous regions.

mud turtle plastron	Range of the Eastern Mud Turtle in the Carolinas and Virginia	plastron of a hatchling mud turtle