White-Lipped Mud Turtle

The white-lipped mud turtle is an egg-laying freshwater turtle of Mexico, Central America and neighboring northern South America. Its dark brown oval shell and pale lips help distinguish it from related mud turtles, although head markings vary. It uses quiet waters and damp banks, and specialist keepers provide clean shallow water, land access, sheltered retreats and nesting ground. Kinosternon leucostomum is a distinct species, with regional subspecies whose identities should be retained when provenance is known.