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Project Noah Nature School
I saw this guy contemplating a trip across a busy 3-lane street. He was between a drainage culvert and a man-made pond at some townhomes. So I don't know if he's an endangered northern red-bellied cooter that someone bought and released, or a native painted turtle. His markings do not make his origins apparent. But I'm doubting whether I should have put him in my pond, since he could be eating everything in it right now, or so far out of his range that he's endangered. I'd like to get him to a safe place if he's endangered, and out of my pond, if it is. He's living in this pond: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=...
I'd love to see more yards turned into habitats and wildlife corridors. We could all interconnect with greenways to protect the ecology: http://www.facebook.com/lanaland?ref=pro...
Often times tannins in the water will stain the scutes of the plastron until ecdysis occurs. Interesting side note, that is a male (you can tell because of the long fingernails)
One spot per scute on the plastron generally indicates something in the genus Trachemys (sliders). At least in my experience.
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Until i can figure out why I can't add the other photos, they're in this album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19...
I'm having problems adding the other photos for some reason. It's face is like a painted turtle. And it has no dome. It looks much like the northern red-bellied cooter. I'd love to know if I have an endangered species. I can't seem to get him to match any of the locals, such as the eastern red bellied, since his belly really is red. His nails are awful well kept for a native. My guess is someone released him from a tank, and he couldn't find food, so he tried to use his sniffer on the road. Now I'm afraid he'll eat all my fish and frogs.
Do you have anymore pictures of the turtle? Its head or the top of its shell? Those might help other people more familiar with turtles to make an ID.
Spotted on Apr 6, 2011
Submitted on Apr 8, 2011
