How to Distinguish Between Male and Female Turtles

At first glance, male and female turtles appear very similar to one another. However, there are a few ways to tell males from females. Unique sexual characteristics differ among species, so this article is geared toward red-eared slider turtles, which are common in many ponds in the US. Many of these characteristics are relative to one another, so are more evident when one has a male and female both to compare.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Examine the plastron (shell on the belly of the turtle). If it is concave (caves inward), the turtle is likely male. Males climb on the backs of females to mate, so having a shell that is curved in a bit makes for a better fit.
2. Examine the tail. Males tails are longer and fatter than females.
3. Examine the cloaca. The cloaca is the common opening for the digestive and reproductive systems. In the male, the cloaca is more toward the tip of the tail, and in females this opening is closer to the plastron.
4. Examine the front claws. Males have longer front claws than females. These longer claws are used in attracting females and during mating.

Tips & Warnings

• Sexual differentiation of these traits may not be evident until the turtle has reached 3 to 4 years of age. These differences will not be evident in smaller turtles
• Although some of these characteristics are seen in many species, this GROUP of characteristics is seen only in red-eared sliders.