Western Painted Turtle

Scientific Name

Chrysemys picta bellii

Family

Emydidae (pond and box turtles) in the order Testudines (turtles)

Description

The western painted turtle is a small, brightly colored aquatic turtle with a smooth upper shell. The general color of the carapace (upper shell) is olive, olive brown, or nearly black; usually there are irregular yellow lines; the marginal scutes (shell scales) may have one or more yellow bars and a red-orange outer edge. The plastron (lower shell) is yellow orange, bright orange, or red, with a prominent pattern of brown markings. Exposed skin is dark brown or black and is strongly patterned with yellow lines. Lines on the neck and forelimbs can be orange or red.

Similar species: The closest relative in Missouri is the southern painted turtle (Chrysemys dorsalis), but it occurs only in the Bootheel region, where the western painted turtle is not found. The southern painted turtle looks similar, but it has a prominent lengthwise orange, red, or yellow stripe down the upper shell; also, its lower shell is plain yellow.

See "Status" below for a discussion of possible intergrades and subspecies in Missouri.

Less closely related, but still rather similar to painted turtles, are a number of other aquatic or semiaquatic members of the pond and box turtle family. Some of these relatives may occur in the same Missouri regions as the western painted turtle. These include the northern map turtle, Ouachita map turtle, northern false map turtle and Mississippi map turtle, eastern river cooter, and red-eared slider.

Size

Adult upper shell length: 4½ to 8 inches; occasionally to 10 inches. Females are larger than males.

Occurs statewide, excluding the Missouri's extreme southeastern corner. Apparently most abundant in marshlands in the grassland regions of western and northern Missouri.

Habitat and Conservation

This turtle is usually active between early April and October. In Missouri, the western painted turtle occurs in slow-moving rivers, sloughs, oxbow lakes, ponds, drainage ditches, and marshes, especially where there is ample mud and abundant aquatic vegetation. They typically avoid waters with fast-flowing current.

Painted turtles are active by day and sleep during the night in pools or ponds. During the day, they alternately bask and forage in the water. They require objects, such as partly submerged logs, rocks, or mats of aquatic plants, upon which they may climb and bask.

Although this species is mainly aquatic, individuals are seen crossing roads, fields, and yards.

During the cold winter months, adults overwinter in the deeper bottoms of wetlands, usually buried in the mud.

Food

This turtle eats aquatic plants and algae, snails, crayfish, earthworms, leeches, insects, and fish. It will also readily consume carrion. The young reportedly eat more animal material than adults.

Status

Taxonomically, the status of the painted turtle group is somewhat uncertain. Currently, three subspecies of C. picta are recognized, now that the southern painted turtle (formerly considered a subspecies) has been elevated to full species status. Questions still remain about the validity of the three subspecies and about apparent intergrades occurring in Missouri.

There may be small populations of intergrades between the midland painted turtle (C. p. marginata) in a few eastern Missouri counties; also, painted turtles captured in the southeastern part of the Ozarks typically have a weak mid-dorsal stripe compared to C. dorsalis and less intense belly patterns compared to C. p. bellii. Additional studies are needed in these areas to verify these possible intergradations.

Life Cycle

Human Connections

Painted turtles appear in Native American legends and are beloved by many people. They are often kept as pets in captivity, but a great many of those die due to improper care, including specific food, lighting, water, and heating needs. In some parts of the world, they are an invasive species.

Ecosystem Connections

Although the hard shell protects adults from predators, the eggs and young are vulnerable to a wide array of predators.

What explains the bright colors? It turns out that turtles have good color vision, so unique colors and patterns probably help them recognize members of their own species.

The western painted turtle's range extends north into south-central Canada, Wisconsin, and eastern Montana, and in numerous other western states. Surviving long periods of inactivity in these northern climates, where winters can be incredibly cold, can be a challenge for many freshwater turtles. Painted turtles have unique physiological adaptations to survive for extended periods within these cold environments.

To survive winters, adult painted turtles significantly reduce their metabolic rates. Additionally, as they hibernate under water, they can prevent a deadly lactic acid buildup in their bodies caused by the oxygen-depleted environment. A large amount of lactic acid is transported into the turtle shell, where it is buffered (de-acidified or neutralized) and stored.
Meanwhile, the hatchlings that overwinter in their rather shallow nests (only to about 5 inches deep) might easily freeze, their body tissues and blood vessels disrupted and split by the formation of ice crystals. But researchers have found that these hatchlings can survive by supercooling to resist actual freezing. Basically, they do not freeze because their tissues can drop below the freezing point without ice crystals forming. This occurs not because their bodies create an antifreeze (such as elevated levels of glucose in the blood to lower its freezing point), but by purging ice-nucleation sites (tiny particles where ice crystals can start to form) from the blood and other liquids in their bodies. Also, the chemistry of their shells and skin prevents any ice that forms around them from causing the fluids in their bodies to freeze.

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Where to See Species

Northeast Regional Office

This facility serves as the regional headquarters for the Northeast Region.

About Reptiles and Amphibians in Missouri

Missouri’s herptiles comprise 43 amphibians and 75 reptiles. Amphibians, including salamanders, toads, and frogs, are vertebrate animals that spend at least part of their life cycle in water. They usually have moist skin, lack scales or claws, and are ectothermal (cold-blooded), so they do not produce their own body heat the way birds and mammals do. Reptiles, including turtles, lizards, and snakes, are also vertebrates, and most are ectothermal, but unlike amphibians, reptiles have dry skin with scales, the ones with legs have claws, and they do not have to live part of their lives in water.

Local Contacts