Shtinky Puddin' the Stinkpot Turtle

Over the weekend, I visited the Upper Fall Creek Loop trail. While there, I was exploring around some of the rocks and found this critter. This is a Common Musk Turtle, otherwise known as a Stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratus.

Shtinky Puddin' (a character from the Mutts cartoon) is what I decided to call her. Oh, she looks innocent enough, looks almost sweet. Don't let her fool you! Yep, after checking her out for a bit, she let loose a foul stench not unlike one you would find at a frat party chili cookoff. Whew! Not very lady-like...

How do I know she is a female, you might ask? Well, her plastron, or bottom shell is flat. Males will be slightly concave. Also, I found her on land. Stinkpots are usually aquatic except when the females venture on land to lay eggs.

After a few minutes of torture from the paparazzi, I let Lady Gag Me loose to finish her egg laying business. She was quite happy to wander off and my nose was quite happy she was on her way!