Map of the Celery Farm
Monday Morning Mystery 062920

Another Painted Turtle?

Screen Shot 2020-06-28 at 12.06.38 PMSeen 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?

 

 

 

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