A Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii), in captivity, at the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle family Emydidae. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. Four regionally based subspecies (the eastern, midland, southern, and western) evolved during the last ice age. The largest subspecies is the western painted turtle (C. p. bellii), which grows up to cm (10 in) long. Its top shell has a mesh-like pattern of light lines, and the top stripe present in other subspecies is missing or faint. Its bottom shell has a large colored splotch that spreads to the edges (further than the midland) and often has red hues. *** Description sourced from Wikipedia.

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Size: 4398px × 2932px
Location: Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Photo credit: © Felix Choo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: reptile