Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Its been raining (and cold) here in San Antonio, TX. Any chance of seeing any turtles this time of year? I'm in from out of town and would love to see some Yellow Mud turtles in their natural habitat. Any other species I may encounter in the Cibolo area?

Thanks,
Jay

Looks like the cold front has sent them down under.
Todd Hughes

The forecast is calling for high 60's later in the week. Is that warm enough, or is everything down for the season?

Jay

Look for ponds and lakes, stock tanks and overflowing ditches, turtles are very tolerant and some should be sunning, but you may only see red eared sliders. Golf courses also offer such views. I have seen turtles along the river walk as well, good luck!
Todd Hughes

Jay,

If you can find some clear hill country streams you might find some softshells, Texas Map Turtles, Texas River Cooters moving around on the bottom.
Almost anywhere, you should be able to spot some turtles basking on logs, etc, if we get some decent sunshine and temps up in the lower 60s, however most of those will probably be Trachemys.
The San Marcos river used to be (and may still be) a great place to see turtles by snorkelling. We used to just pull into some of the parks in the city, and snorkel in the river there. The water temp is a constant 72° so you can snorkel in the winter, but getting out can be damn cold! I don't know the legalities of doing this anymore, but people swim/tube there so I can't imagine there are restrictions.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas