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Tiny River Cooter
I spotted this little turtle because from the distance I first saw it, it looked like a cross between a toad and a rock. It was exploring some (relatively large) puddles formed in tire depressions in the road. I watched it for a long time, and at one point it decided my bike tire might be a good shelter. (Given the size of the turtle, about 2"/5cm long, it would have been, except I was afraid I would roll back over it.) Eventually it decided it should go back to the larger marshy area next to the road.
The eastern river cooter is a freshwater turtle native to the central and eastern United States, from Virginia south to mid-Georgia, west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and north to southern Indiana. They are usually found in rivers with moderate current, as well as lakes and tidal marshes.
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