Stinkpot staying in place

I love turtles, but in trying to photograph them, I often wind up more with butt shots—images of turtles turning tail and sliding into the water—than photographs of the reptiles doing what comes naturally on a sunny summer's day: hanging out on rocks and logs, or floating lazily on the surface of the warm pond or lake. So it almost always goes with Painted Turtles, which are very skittish, and I usually have the same experience trying to "capture" Snapping Turtles, unless they're large and on land, in which case they're sometimes trying to "capture" me. This handsome fellow, however, was different. The reptile heard me approach, watched me crouch down, and just stayed put on his log. I was pretty sure, based on the shape of his shell and his calm behavior, that he was neither Painted nor Snapper, and when I looked at the photos, those two stripes on the face confirmed my assessment. This is a Stinkpot, a.k.a., the Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus), a monicker that pays tribute to the unpleasant, predator-deterring smell it emits when handled. The turtle seemed to know that I wasn't going to get close enough to disturb its afternoon nap and continued enjoying the sun.