WESTERN PAINTED TURTLES

- Chrysemys picta -

:: Description

• Bottom shell is red with unique black pattern
• Top shell varies from olive to brown and is slightly flattened and smooth
• Head and legs are dark green with yellow lines
• Length ranges from 4 to 10 inches.
• Webbed feet for swimming
• Yellow lines of approximately equal width on necks that continue on to the head
• Do NOT have a red spot on the side of their face. If you see a red spot, you are seeing a non-native red-eared slider

::Ecology

• Spend most of their time in shallow, slow-moving water of streams, lakes and rivers; preferably with a soft, muddy bottom with vegetation and submerged logs
• Eat insects, crayfish, mollusks, worms and plants
• Basking on logs in the sun is an important behavior and is crucial for thermal regulation, digestion and other life requirements
• Can slow their heartbeat when underwater to conserve oxygen
• Over winter spend time deep in the bottom of ponds
• In late spring to mid-summer, mating occurs
• Lay one to two clutches of eggs a year
• 10 weeks of incubation
• Turtle hatchlings are about the size of a quarter
• Males reach maturity in 2 to 5 years; females in 4 to 8 years
• Live 20 years or more

::Current distribution

• The western subspecies ranges from Montana to Oregon
• In Oregon, their range includes the lower Willamette Valley and Lower Columbia River
• One of the few remaining populations in the lower Willamette Valley can be seen at the Smith and Bybee Lakes Natural Area in North Portland

WESTERN POND TURTLES

- actinemys marmorata -

:: Description

• Lack of bright coloration on shell bottom, usually a creamy yellow with some dark blotches
• Top shell ranges in color from dark brown to olive
• Head and legs are dark brown to olive
• Can grow up to 10 inches long

:: Ecology

• Habitat includes streams, large rivers and slow-moving water
• Not fully aquatic: may spend part of the year in upland forests
• Prefer living in areas with large rocks and boulders, and use them to bask in the sun
• Basking in the sun is an important behavior and is crucial for thermal regulation, digestion and other life requirements
• Can survive drought by digging into the mud in dried up riverbeds
• Diet consists of insects, larvae of caddis flies, dragonflies and nymphs
• Breed from mid to late spring

:: Current distribution

• In the U.S.: Populations extend down the West Coast, from Southern British Columbia to Northern California
• In Oregon: Found mainly west of Cascades in the Rogue, Umpqua, Willamette, lower Columbia and in coastal drainages from the Siuslaw River south

For more information on western pond turtles, download this file from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.