The skin of Painted Turtles varies from shades of olive to black. They can have stripes in red, yellow or orange that cover their heads, tails and extremities. Their upper shell is very smooth in texture and oval in shape. It doesn’t have any ridges.The four subspecies of Painted Turtles have distinct traits that help to distinguish them from one another. The sections on the top shell of the Eastern Painted Turtle are arranged in a straight line. A Midland Painted Turtle has a gray mark on its lower shell. A red line runs across the upper shell of the Southern Painted Turtle. Lastly, the red design on the underside of a Western Painted Turtle is the most distinctive of all.
With regard to size, female Painted Turtles will be anywhere from 4 to 10 inches (10-25 cm) when they are fully mature. Male Painted Turtles tend to be smaller than the females.
While males will take 2-9 years to reach maturity, females take even longer. A female will not reach maturity until somewhere between 6 and 16. The shell of the Painted Turtle in its adulthood is hard enough that it manages to escape being eaten by many would be predators. Alligators and raccoons are the most successful at turning Painted Turtles into food.
Painted Turtles like to spend their warmer months sunning themselves. However, they tend to be shy and will hide underwater at the first sign of trouble. They fall into the category of aquatic turtles. They make their homes in creeks and ponds, where the water is fresh water and it moves slowly.
They eat aquatic vegetation, algae, insects, crustaceans and fish. They spend the winter buried in the mud at the bottom of the creek or pond.
Painted Turtles are second on the list of most popular turtles to keep as pets. They were also popular with a few Native American tribes. Young braves listened for the splashing of the Painted Turtle to warn them of potential threats. In the stories passed down by the Algonquian tribes, Painted Turtles were often portrayed as tricksters. Vermont, Illinois, Michigan and Colorado have all laid claim to the Painted Turtle as their official reptile. It is the only turtle whose natural habitat extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Fossils have also proven that they have been around for at least 15 million years. With all of these facts, painted turtles are definitely one of the most fascinating species around.