About Pseudemys gorzugi Ward, 1984
The Rio Grande cooter, scientifically named Pseudemys gorzugi, is a species of turtle that belongs to the Emydidae family. This species is native to northeastern Mexico and the adjacent southwestern United States. The Rio Grande cooter occurs in the Rio Grande drainage, spanning the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, as well as New Mexico and Texas in the United States. Along the Texas section of the Pecos River, there is an approximately 390 kilometer gap in the species' distribution that runs from Loving and Reeves counties into Crockett County; this gap may be caused by unsuitable water conductivity levels. A previously reported record of the species near the San Saba River in Menard County, Texas has been confirmed to be incorrect. The preferred natural habitat of Pseudemys gorzugi is freshwater wetlands, located at altitudes between 259 meters (850 feet) and 1,082 meters (3,550 feet). For reproduction, female P. gorzugi lay one to two clutches of eggs each year, and each clutch contains between 5 and 17 eggs.
