NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus (Latreille, 1802)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Sternotherus odoratus is a species of small turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known commonly as the common musk turtle, eastern musk turtle, or stinkpot turtle due to its ability to release a foul musky odor from scent glands on the edge of its shell, possibly to deter predation. This turtle is grouped in the same family as mud turtles.
Wikipedia contributors, Sternotherus odoratus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:13:59.088872+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sternotherus odoratus (Latreille, 1802)
- Name authority
- (Latreille, 1802)
- Common name
- Common Musk Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Kinosternidae
- Genus
- Sternotherus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyChelydroidea
- familyKinosternidae
- genusSternotherus
- speciesSternotherus odoratus (Latreille, 1802)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sternotherus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Razorback Musk TurtleSternotherus carinatus (Gray, 1856) | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Loggerhead Musk TurtleSternotherus minor (Agassiz, 1857) | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Flattened Musk TurtleSternotherus depressus Tinkle & Webb, 1955 | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stripeneck Musk TurtleSternotherus peltifer Smith & Glass, 1947 | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Intermediate Musk TurtleSternotherus intermedius Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017 | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Kinosternum guttatum Le Conte, 1854 Le Conte, 1854 | synonym |
| Ozotheca tristycha Agassiz, 1857 Agassiz, 1857 | synonym |
| Sternothaerus odoratus Bell, 1825 Bell, 1825 | synonym |
| Testudo glutinata Daudin, 1802 Daudin, 1802 | synonym |
| Cinosternum odoratum Boulenger, 1889 Boulenger, 1889 | synonym |
| Testudo odorata Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 Latreille ex Sonnini & Latreille, 1802 | synonym |
| Terrapene boscii Merrem, 1820 Merrem, 1820 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Sternotherus&species=odoratus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:52FT3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.