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Stinkpot Turtles Pack a Pungent Punch — and a Lot of Personality

By Jennifer Correa-Kruegel, Warren County Naturalist

April 9, 2025

Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus), Also Known as Stinkpot

Camouflaged, clever and just a little bit smelly, the musk turtle (a.k.a. stinkpot) is one of New Jersey’s more surprising aquatic residents.

Musk turtle, stretching out of its shell. Photo by Jennifer Correa-Kruegel.

Ridge View Echo’s resident naturalist once assisted with a research project that involved collecting turtles from basking traps set up on a lake. The traps consisted of netting zip-tied to a square frame of PVC pipes, with canned sardines placed in the middle — equal parts smelly and tasty for the aquatic turtles researchers hoped to attract. The traps were secured to an island or dock, offering a place for the turtles to bask. If the turtles were startled or spooked, they would fall into the trap below.

Some traps had decoy turtles to test a “strength in numbers” theory: would real turtles feel safer and be more likely to climb aboard if other “turtles” were already basking there?

baby musk turtles being held gently — Baby musk turtles being held gently by our resident naturalist. Photo by Jennifer Correa-Kruegel.

Researchers checked the traps almost daily, retrieving the turtles. Most of the turtles collected were painted turtles, but occasionally there was a musk turtle among them. Once collected, the turtles were placed in buckets and brought back to the labs where data such as age, sex and size measurements were recorded. Each turtle received a PIT tag — similar to a microchip used for pets — to track repeat encounters over time.

When it came time to handle the musk turtles, even seasoned researchers would hesitate, avoiding the buckets with real turtles in them. Team members would take a deep breath, knowing that the defense of the musk turtle is to — well — musk. The musk turtle’s defense mechanism is in its name: it releases a powerful, unpleasant musk when threatened.

moss on turtle shell — Moss can be seen on this musk turtle’s shell. Photo by Jennifer Correa-Kruegel.

These small but potent turtles max out at about 5.5 inches in length. They have a high-domed carapace (top shell), often covered with algae, making them difficult to spot in the water. Their camouflage works well until they start to look like a moving rock. They are often found near the edges of lakes, just below the surface, foraging for an omnivorous diet that includes both vegetation and aquatic insects or worms.

Musk turtles typically reach reproductive maturity at around three to four years of age. They have been recorded living up to 30 years, though experts believe they may live much longer.

During nesting season, females come onto land to lay eggs in rotting logs, on beaches or along banks of lakes. If hatchlings survive common predators like raccoons and foxes, they typically emerge in August or September — though some may overwinter in the nest and emerge the following spring.

Fun Facts:

Musk turtles protect themselves by emitting a smelly musk to deter predators.
They do not grow larger than about 5.5 inches.
Musk turtles are omnivorous and feed on insects and vegetation.
Females lay their eggs on land in rotting logs or soft soil.

Jennifer Correa-Kruegel, Warren County Naturalist

Jennifer has a Masters in Parks and Resource Management from Slippery Rock University. She worked as a Park Naturalist for Hunterdon County Park System from 2003-2006 and then at the NJSOC full-time from 2006 - 2020, starting as the Program Coordinator and evolving to an Environmental Educator. Jen is a New Jersey native and has lived in Warren County with her family since 2004. She is excited to be offering programs to this community she has grown to love.