About Painted Turtles
A painted turtle is a small turtle with red and yellow stripes on its neck, head and tail. Colorado, Michigan, Illinois and Vermont officially recognize the painted turtle as their state reptile.
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Identification
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The southern painted turtle is the smallest subspecies with a top shell, or carapace, that measures only 5 inches long. This turtle has a red stripe that traverses the length of its carapace.
Theories/Speculation
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The eastern painted turtle does not live in the coastal plains of the southeastern states. This is most likely due to the presence of alligators and another turtle, the yellow-bellied slider. Biologists theorize the slider would offer the eastern painted turtle too much competition for food.
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Threats
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Animals such as skunks, raccoons, gray squirrels and foxes will dig up a painted turtle's eggs and devour them. The young fall victim to herons, snakes and hawks. Painted turtles also often perish when hit by motor vehicles as they cross roadways.
Habitat
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While a painted turtle prefers ponds, streams and swamps, it will live in a river if there are enough fallen trees along its banks to provide a spot to sit and bask in the sun.
Fun Fact
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Painted turtles lay their eggs in nests that the females dig in gravel and sand. The sex of the baby turtles depends on the temperature at which the eggs incubate while lying hidden, with cooler temperatures typically precipitating male turtles.
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References
- Photo Credit carpentergraphic/Morguefile.com
