Unknown Turtle

Adam, yes, box turtles do soak in shallow water. My previous comment was not quite accurate. Thanks for the clarification.

Forest dragon, that's not entirely accurate. Juvenile box turtles are often found in shallow water. I saw one in a spring fed lake yesterday. Looks like it's in pretty deep though, so probably not a box turtle.

Hi Rodger, it is difficult to tell which species of turtle this is. However, I can tell you that this is certainly not a box turtle. Terrapene carolina is a strictly terrestrial species (they only stay on land) and would surely drown in water that deep as they are not good swimmers.

More likely, this turtle could be an Eastern Painted Turtle, a Red-eared Slider, Common Snapping Turtle or other aquatic or semi-aquatic species. If you have a photo with a closer image, that might help.

Here is a good link with the turtle species found in Virginia: http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety...