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mud turtle
noun
: any of a genus (Kinosternon) of American bottom-dwelling freshwater turtles with two transverse hinges on the plastron
Examples of mud turtle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Willows, cattails, small fish and Sonoran mud turtles have returned to sections of the river that now flow year-round.
—The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2023
Endangered mud turtles and pupfish drifted through a spring-fed pond; the branches of wolfberry shrubs sagged with orange-red fruit the size of jelly beans.
—Christopher Flavelle, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023
Sonoyta mud turtle newest species on endangered species list The Sonoyta mud turtle evolved as an aquatic species in one of the driest parts of the Sonoran Desert.
—Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 3 Mar. 2023
Over the past two decades, petitions and lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity, an endangered species advocacy group based in Tucson, have resulted in the listing of 26 species in Arizona, among them jaguars, Sonora tiger salamanders, and the Sonoyta mud turtle.
—Lindsey Botts, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2021
Other Democratic officeholders of that era — County Attorney Charles Pickett, County Surveyor Leo Snow and County Commissioners Wayne Wilson and Ivan Barlow — joined the Saint Helena darter and the Viesca mud turtle as the last of their kind in the 1960s.
—Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Oct. 2022
The rough-footed mud turtle is found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
—Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Nov. 2021
The desert oasis, which is home to endangered species like the Sonoyta pupfish and the mud turtle, is considered sacred to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia-Ced O'odham, with the springs' use dating back some 10,000 years.
—NBC News, 11 Nov. 2020
Lechowicz, who typically observes a very rare Florida mud turtle population in a small wetland on the island, hasn’t been able to reach the area in weeks.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 8 Nov. 2022
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Word History
First Known Use
1756, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near mud turtle
Cite this Entry
“Mud turtle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mud%20turtle. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
mud turtle
noun
: any of various turtles that live on the bottom of bodies of fresh water and are related to the musk turtles
More from Merriam-Webster on mud turtle
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mud turtle
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