The painted turtle is the most common turtle in North America and is truly a prehistoric reptile with remains being found from 15 million years ago. It's scientific name is Chrysemys picta. They can live up to 20 to 30 years. Painted turtles are Diurnal and Omnivores. Painted turtles have long, oval, smooth shells with little grooves where the large scale-like plates overlap. The color of the top shell (carapace) varies from olive to black. The bottom shell (plastron) is yellow, sometimes red, and sometimes with dark markings in the center. Similar to the top shell, the turtle's skin is olive to black, but with red and yellow stripes on its neck, legs, and tail. Painted turtles have very distinctive heads. The face has only yellow stripes, with a large yellow spot and streak behind each eye, and on the chin two wide yellow stripes that meet at the tip of the jaw. As with other pond turtles, the Painted turtle's feet are webbed to aid swimming. Their population is stable.

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拍攝者： Lindalombardo