This turtle has a short tail, ridged upper and lower shell, rear edge of upper shell is jagged and a small yellow spot behind each eye. The upper shell is gray with lines and circles. The lower shell is gray with darker center lines. The head, limbs and tail are olive or brownish with yellow stripes. The shell length is a maximum of 10 inches.
 This species’ habitat includes creeks, rivers, oxbows and lakes with abundant basking sites, slow to moderate current and soft substrate with aquatic vegetation and tree-lined banks. The range has been reduced to smaller creeks in eastern Kansas south of the Kansas River and east of the Flint Hills.