Nature Done Wright

Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs

June 28, 2020

Another Painted Turtle?

Seen laying eggs in Mahwah.

How do you tell the difference between an Eastern Painted Turtle (native) and a Red-eared Slider (invasive)?

This is all I could find in a hurry on the net:

http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/painted_turtle_vs_red-eared_slider.html

My friend who saw the turtle writes:

"I should have measured the turtle before she disappeared. Some of the candidates for ID have maximum length of 3 to 4.5 inches. This turtle was definitely over five inches.

"I didn't want to disturb her egg laying and so did not interrupt her and turn her over. When I magnified photos I saw yellow on face and red stripes on front legs.

What do you think?