[Jeff H.]

Species Name: Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda

Common Name: Black Knobbed Map Turtle

Size: Males can reach 3.5-4.5 inches in size. Females are typically in the 7-8 inch range.

pH: Fairly tolerant of pH ranges, but prefer clean water.

Minimum Recommended Tank Size: A female would need a 75 gallon tank or larger. A male could live in a 30 gallon with no problem. You would want to add an additional 30-40 gallons per female and 15-25 gallons per male. In the wild, these turtles utilize fallen trees for basking spots. I successfully keep a juvenile in a 55 gallon w/ a basking spot and water filled 80% of the way to the top. I haven’t noticed much aggression between it and my Cagle's Maps. A simple enclosure would be basking spot w/ ¾ of the tank filled with water.

Native Location: Alabama and Mississippi

Temperature: A basking spot of 90F should be provided. The ambient air temperature should be around 80F. The water temperature for this species should be about 75-80F.

Diet: These are typically very carnivorous. A diet of worms, fish, commercial pellets, and various other “meaty” foods can be offered. Females have enlarged heads for freshwater clams and snails.

Breeding: Not entirely difficult, the hardest part is cycling and finding a legal adult female.

Gender Differences: The males have a really big tail and are quite small compared to females. Females have a tail that is rather small compared to that of a male.

Aggression: Not very aggressive. They are excellent baskers and will sometimes push each other off to get a good spot to bask. I’ve seen numerous occasions where my hatchling will push the Cagle's off, even though the basking spot is large enough for all of them. Normally they don’t bite at each other, but there are several occasions where they can (ie breeding).

Notes: A UVB bulb should be provided for these turtles. They do bask and will need the UVB in their diet to synthesize D3. Black Knobbed Maps are one of the more shy map turtle species. Endangered in Mississippi and Protected in Alabama.

Juvenile Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda: