Chrysemys picta

Geographic Range

Painted turtles are one of the most common turtles in North America and are found from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Painted turtles prefer living in freshwater that is quiet, shallow, and has a thick layer of mud.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• freshwater freshwater

• Aquatic Biomes
• lakes and ponds
• rivers and streams

• Wetlands
• marsh marsh
• swamp swamp

Physical Description

Painted turtles are brightly marked. They have a smooth shell about 90 to 250 mm long. Their shell acts as protection, but since the ribs are fused to the shell, the turtle cannot expand its chest to breathe but must force air in and out of the lungs by alternately contracting the flank and shoulder muscles. The painted turtle has a relatively flat upper shell with red and yellow markings on a black or greenish brown background. Males mature at about 70 to 95 mm plastron (lower shell) length, usually at 3 to 5 years of age. Females at take longer (6 to 10 years) and are larger at maturity (c. 100 to 130 mm plastron length). The growth rate, for both sexes is rapid during the first several years of the of their lives. Turtles continue to grow slowly after maturity, and this species may reach 250 mm carapace (upper shell) length and live for many decades.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger

Development

The sex of the turtle is determined during a critical phase of embryogenesis according to the incubation temperature. These temperature-dependent reptiles lack sex chromosomes. Low temperatures during incubation produce males and high temperatures produce females. Hatchlings have two threshold temperatures, 27 to 32 C and 22C. These thresholds may be important to some northern or woodland populations. The availability of water in the nests is more important than temperature in influencing survival, metabolism, and growth of the embryos.

• Development - Life Cycle
• temperature sex determination

Reproduction

Mating begins after hibernation and before feeding begins when the water temperatures are still low. Fall mating may also occur. Temperature is a major environmental cue for the regulation of the seasonal gonadal cycle, but the thermal dependence of the reproductive system differs markedly for the two sexes.

• Mating System
• polygynous polygynous

The breeding season lasts from late spring to early summer. Males mature at about 70-95 mm plastron (lower shell) length, usually at 3-5 years of age. Females take longer (6-10 years) and are larger at maturity (c. 100-130 mm plastron length).

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
• oviparous oviparous

In the early summer females lay 4 to 15 oval, soft-shelled eggs, in a flask-shaped hole. Females choose soft, sandy soil with good exposure to the sun in which to dig the hole. Once the eggs are laid they cover the hole and leave. The young hatch and dig out of the nest on their own, they are independent immediately.

• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Painted turtles may live as long as 35 to 40 years, but most will not survive for this long.

Behavior

Painted turtles bask in large groups on logs, fallen trees, and other objects. The sunning helps rid them of parasitic leeches. In many areas turtles hibernate during the winter months by burrowing into the mud and allowing their bodies to become very cold. Because of their small body size, they can move easily. Turtles dive quickly at the first hint of danger. Painted turtles are diurnal; that means they are active during the day. At night they will rest on the bottom of a pond or on a partially submerged object, such as a rock. During the day, painted turtles will bask in the sun, sometimes as many as 50 on one log, stacked on top of each other.

• Key Behaviors
• natatorial natatorial
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• hibernation hibernation
• solitary solitary

Communication and Perception

Sound perception is poor in turtles, but they do have a good sense of smell and color vision. They use touch to communicate with each other, particularly during mating.

Food Habits

Painted turtles feed mainly on plants, small animals, such as fish , crustaceans , aquatic insects , and some carrion. Young painted turtles are mainly carnivorous, acquiring a taste for plants later in life. Because they have no teeth, the turtle jaw has tough, horny plates for gripping food. Painted turtles must eat in the water, their tongue does not move freely and they cannot manipulate food well on land.

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• fish
• carrion carrion
• insects
• aquatic crustaceans

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• algae
• macroalgae macroalgae

Predation

A variety of predators will capture painted turtles. raccoons , otters , mink , foxes , and other medium-sized predators will prey on turtles and their eggs. Painted turtles are vigilant and seek refuge in the water at the slightest sign of danger, they can also retract their head and legs into the protection of their shell.

Ecosystem Roles

Painted turtles are important predators of small fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates in aquatic ecosystems of North America.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Painted turtles are often used for educational purposes, they make excellent pets with proper care.

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

As with many other reptile species, this species frequently has bacteria living naturally in its guts that can be harmful to humans (they are normal members of the gut flora of the reptiles). In particular, these turtles can be source of bacteria in the genus Salmonella . This is why it is illegal to sell small turtles as pets in the United States. Anyone keeping and handling turtles should be careful to maintain hygienic methods and wash their hands after handling.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • carries human disease
• causes or carries domestic animal disease causes or carries domestic animal disease

Conservation Status

Painted turtles are relatively common and abundant throughout most of their range. However, in some areas they are threatened by the destruction of freshwater habitats, such as ponds and small lakes. In some areas many painted turtles are killed on roadways. In Canada, painted turtles have been placed on the federal blue list, which identifies animals considered vulnerable to human activities or natural events, but not immediately threatened.

Other Comments

Painted turtles are the most common and most widely distributed turtles in the North America. They are also frequently studied.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Katie Knipper (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

Canadian Forest Service, 2005. "Turtles of Ontario" (On-line). Natural Resources Canada. Accessed July 28, 2005 at http://www.glfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/landscape/turt_e.html .

Harding, J. 1997. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region . Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.

Kawartha Turtle Watch, 2005. "Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata)" (On-line). Kawartha Turtle Watch. Accessed July 28, 2005 at http://www.trentu.ca/biology/turtlewatch/painted.htm .

Ganzhorn, Darrie and Licht, Paul. 1983. The Regulation of seasonal gonadal cycles by temperature in the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. Copeia 2: 347-58.

Gutzke, William and Paukstis, Gary L. 1984. A low threshold temperature for sexual differentiation in the painted turtles, Chrysemys picta. Copeia 2:546-7.