The Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) is a captivating and widespread native turtle species in North America. Well deserving of their common name, painted turtles are one of the most attractive varieties of pond turtle native to North America. The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in relatively slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This article delves into the specifics of the Midland Painted Turtle, covering its physical characteristics, habitat preferences, diet, and conservation status.
Physical Characteristics
The Midland Painted Turtle's carapace (top shell) is smooth, relatively flat, and ranges in color from olive to black. The outer edge of the carapace has bright red lines on the top and bottom, giving them a painted look. The base color of their skin is also olive to black. Their head and throat are striped with bright yellow that transitions to red on the neck and forelimbs. The tail is also typically marked with yellow or red stripes.
Adults vary in size, but females are larger than males, and they are generally just a bit larger than a grapefruit. The adult painted turtle is 13-25 cm (5.1-9.8 in) long; the male is smaller than the female. Males have considerably longer claws on their front limbs than the claws of their hind limbs, whereas females are all the same length. Males also have thicker tails than females. Painted Turtles are the only species with red markings on them, so this can be used as a key identification feature.
The carapace (top shell), is olive green with patterns of red, orange and yellow lines around the outer scutes. It is slightly arched, smooth and oval shaped. The large plastron (bottom shell), is yellow to cream coloured with a dark, artistic pattern in the middle. The carapace is joined to the plastron by a wide, yellow bridge at the sides. The head, legs and tail are olive green with yellow stripes. There is sexual dimorphism present with the males being slightly smaller, their tails are longer and thicker, and their cloaca is further down the tail while the female cloaca is at the tail base. The cloaca is the common passageway for urinary, digestion and reproduction ducts. Mass approx.
It is a small to medium-sized turtle having a smooth, unkeeled carapace, olive to black, with a pattern of red and yellow, especially on the marginal scutes. The rear of the carapace is not serrate. The carapace length is 4 to 7 3/8 inches.
Read also: Local Facial Waxing Services & Reviews
Habitat and Distribution
Midland Painted Turtles prefer slow-moving, relatively shallow, and well-vegetated wetlands and water bodies with abundant basking sites, which are primarily swamps, marshes, ponds, fens, and bogs. Hatchlings and juveniles prefer shallow water, most likely for foraging and avoiding predators. They will transition to deeper water as they grow into adulthood. The Midland Painted Turtle’s active season begins as ice cover retreats. The Midland Painted Turtle will spend some time basking and feeding to warm up, and then they will make their way to their spring mating habitats. This movement generally happens once turtles are able to raise body temperatures above 15 to 20 degrees Celsius.
The painted turtle is the most widespread North American turtle, and the only turtle whose native range extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is native to eight of Canada's ten provinces, forty-five of the fifty United States, and one of Mexico's thirty-one states. On the West Coast, it lives in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon and offshore on southeast Vancouver Island. The northernmost American turtle, its range includes much of southern Canada. Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Alabama. In the southwestern United States there are only dispersed populations. It is found in one river in extreme northern Mexico.
The borders between the four subspecies are not sharp, because the subspecies interbreed. The eastern painted turtle ranges from southeastern Canada to Georgia with a western boundary at approximately the Appalachians. At its northern extremes, the turtle tends to be restricted to the warmer areas closer to the Atlantic Ocean. Midwest states, to Kentucky, Tennessee and northwestern Alabama, where it intergrades with the southern painted turtle. It also is found eastward through West Virginia, western Maryland and Pennsylvania. The western painted turtle's northern range includes southern parts of western Canada from Ontario through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. This subspecies is one of only two native turtle species in this area. In Ontario, the western subspecies is found north of Minnesota and directly north of Lake Superior, but there is a 130 km (80 mi) gap to the east of Lake Superior (in the area of harshest winter climate) where no painted turtles of any subspecies occur. Thus Ontario's western subspecies does not intergrade with the midland painted turtle of southeastern Ontario. High mountains present barriers to east-west movement of the turtles within the province or from Alberta.
Pet releases are starting to establish the painted turtle outside its native range. To thrive, painted turtles need fresh waters with soft bottoms, basking sites, and aquatic vegetation. They find their homes in shallow waters with slow-moving currents, such as creeks, marshes, ponds, and the shores of lakes. The eastern painted turtle is very aquatic, leaving the immediate vicinity of its water body only when forced by drought to migrate. Along the Atlantic, painted turtles have appeared in brackish waters.
Diet and Feeding Habits
Midland Painted Turtles are omnivores that consume a wide variety of vertebrates, invertebrates, aquatic plants, and algae. They have a higher preference for vegetation as they get older. Common food species include snails, tadpoles, small fish, insects, crayfish, worms, and duckweed. Midland Painted Turtles will typically feed while swimming, but they will also feed off the bottom of shallow lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers.
Read also: Delicious, Nutritious Food Choices
The painted turtle is a bottom-dwelling hunter. It quickly juts its head into and out of vegetation to stir potential victims out into the open water, where they are pursued. Large prey is ripped apart with the forefeet as the turtle holds it in its mouth. Painted turtles obtain coloration from carotenoids in their natural diet by eating algae and a variety of aquatic plants from their environment. The eastern painted turtle's diet is the least studied. It prefers to eat in the water, but has been observed eating on land. The western painted turtle's consumption of plants and animals changes seasonally. In early summer, 60% of its diet comprises insects. In late summer, 55% includes plants.
Since painted turtles' tongues are immovable, they must eat in the water to manipulate food.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Spring is primarily the breeding season, where turtles will meet up to mate and then disperse. In Ontario, nesting season typically spans 20 to 40 days - typically from mid-May until early July. Midland Painted Turtles will generally lay 10-12 eggs, and incubation is 65-80 days before they hatch in August or September. Most females lay one clutch per year, but a few will lay 2 clutches where the second one overwinters underground and emerges in the spring. Nesting sites happen in sand, clay, or gravel, which is generally along roadsides.
Reproduction Painted turtles are sexually mature at five years for males and eight years for females. Both courtship and mating occurs in the water which is 16-24 ˚C. This is between April and May usually. The courtship consists of the male facing the female then slowly stroking her head with his long fore claws. If the female is receptive, she strokes his forelimbs with hers. One to two months later the female looks for a nesting site, often in the afternoon, frequently after a rainstorm. She may dig one or two false (empty) nests before laying eggs in the third. The flask shaped nests, approximately 10cm deep are dug in sandy, loam soil, gravel banks, or in farmers' fields, but not a long distance from water, amid late May to mid July. Three to fourteen elliptical creamy white eggs are laid. These eggs are flexible at first but become firmer as water is absorbed. The eggs hatch in 60-90 days. The sex of the turtles is determined by the nest temperature. The female covers the nest so well, patting down the soil and even covering the site with vegetation, that the nest is hard to locate. Recent observations indicate that up to 50% of females don't lay eggs each year, especially in northern populations because they must accumulate enough fat to produce the egg yolk. Approximately half the energy for egg production is accumulated by the female in the previous year. The hatchlings, about 25mm in diameter, break open the shell with a tooth-like projection in the upper snout which falls off within a few days of use. The hatchlings dig out of the nest, usually at night, and make their way to water which is reflected by the night sky. Moving at night offers protection from being seen.
The probability of a painted turtle surviving from the egg to its first birthday is only 19%. For females, the annual survival rate rises to 45% for juveniles and 95% for adults. The male survival rates follow a similar pattern, but are probably lower overall than females, as evidenced by the average male age being lower than that of the female.
Read also: Foraging Strategies of Painted Buntings
Threats and Conservation
Predation is responsible for most nest failure, but flooding, desiccation, infertility, and low incubation temperatures also contribute to nest loss. Young turtles are predated by American Mink, River Otter, Coyote, Red Fox, Raccoon, Shrews, Great Blue Heron, American Crow, Bald Eagle, Common Raven, American Bullfrog, Northern Watersnake, and large fish species like Catfish, Pike, and Largemouth Bass. Adults are predated by Mink, Otters, Coyotes, Dogs, Racoons, Crows, and Ravens. The non-native and invasive turtle species Red-eared Slider- which is native to the midwestern United States- can sometimes be found in Ontario if it was relocated. Please note that Red-eared Sliders are an invasive and damaging species and should be reported and removed if found.
Several factors threaten the survival of Midland Painted Turtles:
- Road mortality: Roads contribute to habitat destruction and fragmentation, and intentional persecution and mortality from being hit by cars. Soil compaction of nests has been known to crush eggs or prevent hatchlings from emerging.
- Invasive species: Non-native freshwater species from the pet trade (such as Red-eared Sliders, Cooters, and fish) compete with native species for resources and introduce parasites and pathogens. Phragmites also negatively impact Midland Painted Turtles since they grow in thick, impassable stands that choke out native species.
- Residential and commercial development: Widespread habitat loss and modification has occurred for Painted Turtles across Canada. Wetlands are lost or altered by human development and urbanization.
- Commercial fisheries by-catch: By-catch in fyke/hoop net fisheries poses a threat to Painted Turtles in Canada- particularly in Southern Ontario and Western Quebec.
Since Midland Painted Turtles are only listed as Special Concern in Canada, and not listed at all in Ontario, not much is being done to protect this species and their habitat. Ideal policies would be to ensure habitat restoration and protection through stewardship, restoration projects and land acquisition. The Government would need to discourage road development near and around wetlands, and development that destroys wetlands. Increased control and regulation of invasive species- particularly phragmites, invasive aquatic plants, pet turtle species, and large predatory sport fish.
Conservation Efforts
While Midland Painted Turtles are not being protected at the government level, there are many organizations that have stepped up to help. The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough will incubate eggs and rehabilitate injured turtles. The Land Between has staff and volunteers that are out on busy roads during the spring and summer to ensure that all turtle species can safely nest and cross roads and excavate Midland Painted Turtle nests for incubation and release once they have hatched.
Individuals can contribute to the conservation of Midland Painted Turtles by:
- Decreasing speed and staying alert on roads.
- Helping turtles cross the road in the direction they are traveling.
- Participating in a phragmites control project.
Midland Painted Turtles as Pets
Painted turtles breed readily in captivity, and are frequently produced by hobbyists and turtle farms alike. As with most temperate species, their breeding season is restricted to spring and summer, so captive-bred babies are most commonly available from May through September. Besides their attractive coloration, another appealing aspect of painted turtles is their manageable adult size. Large western painted turtles rarely exceed 8 inches in length, and southern painted turtles are not normally larger than 6 inches. Eastern and midland painted turtles are in between, maxing out at around 7 inches. Painted turtles have been known to live as long as 50 years in captivity, so they can truly be (nearly) lifelong companions.
When you pay attention to providing proper painted turtle care, these animals are capable of living up to 40 years.
Housing
Housing for painted turtles can be as elaborate or as simple as you choose to make it, but there are some minimal housing requirements that must be addressed. While it would be difficult for most keepers to provide water that is too deep, the depth should never be less than about twice the width of the turtle’s shell. An underwater hiding place should be provided, as well, with care taken to ensure that the painted turtle cannot get trapped and drown. Non-toxic live or plastic plants can be provided for hiding and to forage among, although painted turtles will eventually shred any live plants whether they eat them or not. Because they are active and able swimmers, painted turtles should be provided with a tank as spacious as possible. At a minimum, a single baby or juvenile painted turtle should be provided about 10 gallons of water volume. This does not mean a 10-gallon tank, but at least a 15- or 20-gallon tank partially filled with 10 gallons of water. Increase the volume of water by 5 gallons for each additional baby turtle. Painted turtles are adaptable and can be housed in virtually any suitably sized tank. Stock tanks, glass aquariums, plastic totes and garden ponds can all be appropriate housing for individuals or groups of painted turtles.
Painted turtles need an enclosure that is large enough to give them adequate opportunity to thermoregulate, explore, hunt, and generally exercise natural behaviors. The general rule for housing one aquatic turtle is to offer at least 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. Given that painted turtles are capable of growing up to 10″ long, you will need at least 100 gallons of water. Considering that painted turtles are a primarily aquatic species, this enclosure must be completely watertight and leak-proof. This can be accomplished with an aquarium, stock tank, or pond. Note that ponds (whether indoor or outdoor) are generally superior housing for painted turtles compared to aquariums.
Although painted turtles are frequently observed in groups in nature, there’s a big difference between living in a giant pond and living in an aquarium - namely, that the turtles have the space to run away from each other as needed. This isn’t possible in most indoor turtle tanks, and often leads to bullying.
Lighting and Temperature
Painted turtles are diurnal, which means that they are most active during the day. This also means that they need exposure to bright light and UVB during the day to maintain good mental and physical health. Light sources should be left on for 14 hours/day during summer and 10 hours/day during winter to replicate natural seasonal rhythms.
The painted turtle is a Zone 3-4 reptile on the Ferguson Zone scale for UVB. Choose a UVB bulb with a UVI maximum of 2.9 to 7.4. The basking zone on one side of the enclosure should be at 85 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 to 35 degrees Celsius) with an ambient air temperature of 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 30 degrees Celsius) during the daytime in the summer and 59 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 24 degrees Celsius) at night during the winter. A high quality heat emitting lamp, at the appropriate distance and on a thermostat will provide these temperatures. Place the light on a 12 hours on, 12 hours off lighting schedule. Water temperatures should be maintained at about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (23.9 to 26.7 degrees Celsius). To avoid potential burns to your turtle, place the heater inside a PVC pipe that is cut the length of the heater and drill holes into the tubing to ensure water gets heated. Keep a high quality thermometer in the water so you know the temperatures are maintained and correct. If your turtle is kept in an outdoor enclosure, the sun will provide the heat and UVB necessary during the warm months.
Humans are warm-blooded, which means that our body temperature is regulated automatically. Turtles, however, are cold-blooded (poikilothermic), which means that they have to move between areas of different temperatures to regulate their body temperature. In the wild, painted turtles warm up by climbing out of the water to bask on a sunny rock or log. Indoors, you will need a halogen heat lamp, basking platform, and possibly a water heater to meet these needs. If you are housing your turtle in an outdoor pond, artificial heating should not be necessary. However, you may need to bring your turtle indoors for part of the year if you live in an area with cold winters.
Temperature gradients should be provided for the water, ambient air and basking area. Water should be maintained within the range of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit; ambient air between 80 and 85 degrees, and the basking area should be kept between 85 and 95 degrees. Bear in mind that temperatures within an aquarium-especially if there is a hood or cover installed-will probably be different than the temperatures within the surrounding room, so it is important to periodically check the actual temperatures in the tank rather than relying on a general indoor thermometer/thermostat. Wild painted turtles love to bask in the sun, and so do pet painted turtles.
Diet and Supplements
Painted turtles are omnivorous, and will accept both animal and plant matter with equal enthusiasm. Along with fish, worms and insects, offer them green, leafy vegetables and aquatic plants such as water lettuce, water hyacinth and duckweed. In addition to live and natural foods, there is a wide variety of commercial turtle food available on the market, and most have been formulated to provide optimum nutrition for turtles at all stages of growth. Pay attention to ingredient labels; I recommend diets with the following: 30- to 40-percent protein; low fat content; vitamin D and a high calcium-to-phosphorous ratio.
Painted turtles are omnivorous, which means that they need to eat a variety of different types of both plant and animal matter in order to get the nutrients that their bodies need. How often painted turtles need to eat depends on their life stage:
- Painted turtles <6 months: 50% protein / 50% vegetables, protein food or pellets daily, vegetable food daily
- Painted turtles between 6-12 months: 50% protein / 50% vegetables, protein food or pellets every other day, vegetable food daily
- Painted turtles >1 year: 25% protein / 75% vegetables, protein food or pellets 2-3x/week, vegetable food daily
A portion of protein should be as much as your turtle can eat in 5-10 minutes, a portion of vegetables should be the same size as the turtle’s shell, and a portion of pellets should be about the same size as your turtle’s head.
The key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your turtle is VARIETY! Here is a quick list of safe, nutritious foods to get you started:
- Protein foods: crickets, earthworms, discoid roaches, dubia roaches, freeze-dried shrimp/krill, frozen bloodworms, hornworms, silkworms, snails, guppies, mollies, platies, mosquito fish
- Vegetable foods: collard greens, dandelion greens + flowers, endive, green/red leaf lettuce, kale, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, squash (raw, grated), carrot (raw, grated), green beans, sweet potato (raw, grated)
- Turtle pellets: Omega One Juvenile Turtle Pellets, Omega One Adult Turtle Sticks, Tetra ReptoMin, Zoo Med Natural Aquatic Turtle Food, Mazuri Aquatic Turtle Diet
Chopped fruit like skinned apple, berries, melon, and papaya can be used as occasional treats.
Turtle pellets take most of the role of supplementation in a painted turtle’s diet, but you will also need extra calcium. Calcium powder isn’t an option, since painted turtles prefer to eat in the water, but you can use a cuttlebone. Providing a cuttlebone in their enclosure fulfills that need and helps prevent calcium deficiency problems such as MBD. Chewing on cuttlebones also helps keep your turtle’s beak trimmed!