Pascagoula map turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pascagoula map turtle |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Graptemys
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| Species: |
gibbonsi
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| Combined range map of Pascagoula map turtle (eastern blue section) and Pearl River map turtle (western blue section) | |
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The Pascagoula map turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi) is a special kind of turtle that lives in the southern United States. It belongs to a group of turtles called Emydidae. This turtle is endemic, which means it is found only in a specific area and nowhere else in the world.
Where the Pascagoula Map Turtle Lives
This unique turtle lives only in the Pascagoula River in the United States. For a long time, people thought the turtles in the nearby Pearl River were the same species. But in 2010, scientists discovered that the Pearl River turtles were actually a different species! They named them the Pearl River map turtle, Graptemys pearlensis.
The Pascagoula map turtle shares its river home with another interesting turtle called the yellow-blotched map turtle, G. flavimaculata.
How the Pascagoula Map Turtle Got Its Name
The second part of the Pascagoula map turtle's scientific name, gibbonsi, is a way to honor someone. It was named after an American scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians, a herpetologist, named "Whit" Gibbons.
