Range in California: Red
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Not native to California - an introduced species.
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Adult, Spokane County, Washington
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Juvenile, Spokane County, Washington |
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Adult, Okanagan County, Washington |
Adults, Okanagan County, Washington |
Adult and juvenile, Okanagan County, Washington |
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Habitat, Santa Barbara County |
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More pictures of this turtle and its habitats can be seen here. |
| Description |
| Size |
| 2.5 - 10 inches in shell length (6.3 - 25.4 cm). (Stebbins 2003) |
| Appearance |
A small turtle with red markings on the marginals and a smooth, oval, somewhat flattened, keelless carapace which is black, brown, or olive in color with a network of faint light lines and olive, yellowish, or red borders along front edge of the shields. The posterior rim of the carapace has a smooth (not serrated) border. The limbs and head are black to olive and marked with yellow lines. Yellow stripes extend rearward from underneath the eyes and often from below the jaw. The upper jaw is notched in front. The unhinged plastron is reddish with a large dark mark in the center which branches out between the scutes.
Males are smaller than females and have very long nails on the front feet. The plastron coloring on juveniles is more strongly contrasted than on adults. |
| Behavior and Natural History |
Aquatic and diurnal. Sleeps at night on the bottom or on a partially submerged object. Probably active all year long in the south but inactive during cold periods. In the north, probably hibernates beginning in late fall, emerging in March or April.
Often seen basking on rocks, logs, or dirt banks, sometimes in large groups.
Relatively cold-tolerant. In some areas, they can be observed swimming under ice just before it melts in March. |
| Diet |
| An omnivorous generalist - eating almost anything found in its habitat, including insects, worms, snails, crayfish, fish, amphibians and tadpoles, carrion, and aquatic vegetation. Young are carnivorous, but become more herbivorous as they grow older. |
| Reproduction |
| Becomes sexually mature when it reaches the appropriate size, typically in 3 - 6 years. Breeds from March to June. Females dig a nest at a sunny site near water in loose soil between May and August, and lay from 1 - 4 clutches of 1 - 25 eggs. |
| Range |
Introduced and established throughout coastal southern California, in Santa Barbara County, and in the kaiser Meadow area of Siskiyou County.
The most widespread species of turtle in North America, ranging across the entire continent from southeastern Canada to Louisiana to Washington, with isolated populations in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. |
| Habitat |
| Ponds, marshes, lakes, ditches, quiet streams with sandy or muddy bottoms and aquatic vegetation. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
Four subspecies are traditionally recognized.
In 2003, Starkey, David E., H. Bradley Shaffer, Russell L. Burke, Michael R. J. Forstner, John B. Iverson, Fredric J. Janzen, Anders G. J. Rhodin, and Gordon R. Ultsch [Molecular systematics, phylogeography, and the effects of Pleistocene glaciation in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) complex. Evolution 57(1): 119-128] determined that Chrysemys picta consists of two species. If this is accepted, C. p. bellii will become Chrysemys picta with no subspecies recognized. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Being an introduced species, it is possible that this turtle competes with and therefore poses a threat to native Pond Turtles. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Emydidae |
Box and Water or Pond Turtles |
| Genus |
Chrysemys |
Painted Turtles |
| Species |
picta |
Painted Turtle |
Subspecies
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bellii |
Western Painted Turtle |
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Original Description |
Chrysemys picta - (Schneider, 1783) - Naturg. Schildkr., p. 348
Chrysemys picta bellii - (Gray, 1831) - Syn. Rept., p. 31
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Chrysemys - Greek - khrysos - golden, yellow or lt. green, and emys - turtle - probably refers to the yellow stripes on the head of all members of this genus
picta - Latin - painted, embroidered - probably refers to the delicate shell pattern
bellii - honors Bell, Thomas
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
None.
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Related or Similar California Turtles |
T. s. elegans - Red-eared Slider
A. m. marmorata - Northern Pacific Pond Turtle
A. m. pallida - Southern Pacific Pond Turtle
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Carr, Archie. Handbook of Turtles: The Turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California. Cornell University Press, 1969.
Ernst, Carl H., Roger W. Barbour, & Jeffrey E. Lovich. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution 1994.
Lemm, Jeffrey. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region (California Natural History Guides). University of California Press, 2006.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
There are no significant conservation concerns for this animal in California.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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