Red-eared Slider

Description:

Medium sized pond turtle that has a distinctive red, yellow or orange band on it's head directly behind the eye. One of the most common turtles in the United States found throughout most of the country. Shell is olive to brown above striping on the neck and legs in various patterns. Lower shell is yellow and plain to very patterned.

Habitat:

Found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds that have slow moving water.

Notes:

These turtles can be seen basking on exposed rocks, stumps and brsupiles. They are apparently not afraind to share their resting spots with one another or more unexpected neighbors as in picture 3. These associations provide a degree of safety. When disturbed these and most other turtle simply drop into the water and swim away. This particular species is also known by the common name Pond slider and may be referred to in older sources by the scientific name Chrysemys scripta ,this is possibly due to taxonomic changes that better describe the subspecies.