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Southern Painted Turtle

Southern painted turtles are one of the four subspecies of painted turtles found in large parts of the United States. They are the smallest and also happen to be the most attractive among the four subspecies. They are semi-aquatic and omnivorous.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Testudines
Family	Emydidae
Subfamily	Deirochelyinae
Genus	Chrysemys
Species	Chrysemys picta
Scientific Name	Chrysemys picta dorsalis

Size	10 – 14 cm
Color	Dark green outer shell with a thin red, orange or yellow stripe running down the middle from the top to the bottom; head contains wavy uneven yellow stripes; black or dark green legs with colored stripes; underside is tan or yellow without any pattern
Distribution	Southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, Louisiana, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama
Habitat	Rivers, swamps, ponds, lakes
Diet	Fish, crayfish, dragonfly larvae, aquatic invertebrates, aquatic plants such as duckweed and algae
Hibernation Fact	Hibernate during winter in the mud at the bottom of water bodies
Predators	Juveniles fall prey to water bugs, bass, bullfrogs, catfish, snapping turtles, snakes , herons, rice rats, muskrats, minks, weasels, raccoons while the adults are preyed upon by alligators, ospreys, red-shouldered hawks, crows, bald eagles, raccoons
Breeding Season	Spring and fall
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous (egg laying)
Clutch Size	4.2 eggs
Incubation Period	72 – 80 days
Average Lifespan	25 to 50 years
IUCN Conservation Status	Not Assessed