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The Habitat And Distribution Of The Stinkpot, Sternotherus Odoratus, In Iowa, Kristi K. Sutton, James L. Christiansen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Twenty years of study have shown that the stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratus and the Illinois mud turtle (Kinosternon flavescens spooneri) occur in Iowa primarily in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Even though the turtles are found within a kilometer of each other, they are never sympatric. Illinois mud turtles are most often associated with ephemeral ponds and soils of nearly pure sand (Sparta sand and Chelsea loamy fine sand), whereas stinkpots inhabit permanent water, often fed by cold springs, and are limited to sandy, loamy soils (Aquolls and Perks sandy loam). Even though several new localities have been discovered for stinkpots, population …