Eastern Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta picta

The eastern painted turtle is a colorful basking turtle with:

• A smooth, dark, flattened carapace, or shell. The carapace has red markings around the edge.
• Many small black plates, called scutes, covering the carapace. Between the scutes are thick black lines.
• A yellow plastron, or underside of the shell.
• A greenish head and neck with wavy yellow lines.
• Red and yellow stripes on the legs and tail.

Painted turtles grow to 8 to 9 inches long. Males tend to be a bit smaller and have longer foreclaws and flatter shells than females.

Where does the eastern painted turtle live?

Painted turtles can be found in ponds, marshes, streams and rivers throughout the Bay watershed. Like other cold-blooded animals, they often bask in the sun on rocks or logs. But at the first sign of danger, they will retreat back to the safety of the water.

What does the eastern painted turtle eat?

Painted turtles are omnivores that feed on worms, insects, crayfish, tadpoles, small fish, algal matter and flowering plants.

When does the eastern painted turtle breed?

Painted turtles hibernate in the winter and breed in the spring, usually from May through July.

• During their courtship ritual, male painted turtles use their long front foreclaws to stroke their female's neck.
• After mating, females dig a nest about 4 inches deep. Nests are made on the land, but close enough to the water so that the bottom of the nest has a bit of water in it.
• The female painted turtle lays three to nine white eggs in the nest. She then fills in the hole to hide the eggs from potential predators, such as skunks, foxes, squirrels, raccoons and garter snakes.
• In about 10 weeks the eggs hatch and the baby painted turtles dig their way to the surface.

Other facts about the eastern painted turtle:

• Painted turtles can live up to 30 years.
• Painted turtles can be confused with red-bellied turtles. You can distinguish a painted turtle by its smaller size and the yellow lines on its head.