Painted Turtles On World Turtle Day

Painted On Green Shadow Of A Painted Turtle On Wood In A Pond Full Of Duckweed.

The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. In the wild, painted turtles are omnivorous-they eat fish, insects, plants, fruit, carrion, and anything else they find. Painted turtles sleep underwater, buried in the sand or mud at the bottom of their habitat. They can breathe air and also absorb oxygen in water. Painted turtles do not have teeth. They have a hard beak that allows them to chew, but they prefer to swallow their food whole. A painted turtle shell is made of bone and is connected to the spine and ribs. The shell of a painted turtles is made up of 13 separate bone plates called scutes. When the turtle grows, it sheds the outermost layer of these scutes and grows new, larger plates underneath. The age of a turtle can be determined by counting the rings on the scutes; every time the turtle sheds an old scute, the new scute has another ring around its outer edge, giving it the same ringed look of a cross section of a tree. Turtles have no vocal chords, but they can sometimes make hissing sounds.
       Duckweed, or water lens, are flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as "bayroot", Duckweed is an important high-protein food source for waterfowl and also is eaten by humans in some parts of Southeast Asia. The tiny plants provide cover for many aquatic species. Duckweed is being touted as a miracle plant for many reasons including: Cost effective renewable energy, biofuel Water filter, Mosquito prevention, Prevents algae growth, Reduces evaporation on bodies of water, Virtually free animal feed, Food for humans.

Painted Turtle On Wood In A Pond Full Of Duckweed

Turtles and their reflections at Indian Brook Reservoir.

The Turtles Are Out Sunning Themselves 
(Chrysemys picta) a pond turtle native to North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. They eat aquatic vegetation, algae, and small water creatures including insects, crustaceans, and fish. Although they are frequently consumed as eggs or hatchlings by rodents, canines, and snakes, the adult turtles' hard shells protect them from most predators. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks. During winter, they hibernate, in the mud at the bottom of water bodies. The turtles mate in spring and autumn. Females dig nests on land and lay eggs between late spring and mid-summer. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.

This Baby Has Attitude

Photographed by Elise T. Marks

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