Painted turtles are one of three species of turtles
found on Block Island. Although they are mostly
aquatic, they can be found marching over hill and
dale - and across the road - in search of a dry
sandy place to lay their eggs.
Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta)...
- lay 4 to 7 eggs in sandy earthen hollows that the females dig with their hind legs. Egg laying typically occurs from mid to late June.
- eggs incubate in the warm sand/earth and hatch out in late summer.
- are omnivorous; they eat vegetation,
aquatic insects and other small animals.
- are often seen, alone or in groups, basking in the sun on rocks or logs. This activity helps the turtle to maintain an ideal body temperature.
- hibernate from late October to April in the mud and vegetation found at the bottom of ponds.
- are divided into 4 subspecies and are found throughout the United States and Canada.
Painted turtles (generally 5-7 inches) can be distinguished from other turtle
species on Block Island by their smooth dark greenish-black,
red-fringed carapace (upper shell). Their head,
neck and legs are marked with yellow and red lines;
and they have a yellowish to salmon colored plastron
(bottom shell).
As a group, turtles are the oldest living reptiles. They coexisted with early dinosaurs, and are the only toothless reptile.
Painted turtles are diurnal. At night, they sleep
submerged in a shallow open water wetland. During
the day, they alternate basking in the sun with
foraging for food.
To find a painted turtle...
- locate a shallow wetland with lots of submerged
vegetation, and slow-moving open water.
- look in the late morning on a sunny day when
turtles are likely to be basking.
- stand very still (even small movements will send a turtle plopping into the
water) and search the top of rocks and other
basking platforms.
For more information, go to www.tortoise.org/archives/chrysemy.html
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