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Daily Bucket: Identifying the Common Freshwater Turtles of the Tampa Bay Area [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-17

IDing the most common freshwater turtles in St Pete Fl.

The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or snakies in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like photos. :)

Florida Softshell Turtle. The long neck and nose are unmistakable. The very big ones are females—the males only get half their size. Most permanent ponds in St Pete will have a couple of Softshells living there.

Florida has a diversity of turtles, with around 25-30 species found in the state including a number of Sea Turtles which do not come on land (except for nesting on particular beaches). Most of our turtles are found in freshwater habitats like ponds and rivers, where they are often seen basking and sunning themselves along the banks, ready to drop into the water at the least sign of disturbance. Some freshwater turtles, like the Musk, Mud, Snappers and Softshells, spend nearly all their time in the water and seldom come on land. And the Box Turtles and Tortoises are entirely terrestrial and do not enter water.

The species found in Pinellas County FL (which contains the cities of St Petersburg and Clearwater) are: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Ornate Diamondback Terrapin (which prefers brackish water), Florida Softshell, Eastern Snapping Turtle, Striped Mud Turtle, Florida Mud Turtle, Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Eastern Musk Turtle, Florida Chicken Turtle, Florida Red-Bellied Turtle, Peninsula Cooter, Red-Eared Slider, Yellow-Bellied Slider, Florida Box Turtle, and Gopher Tortoise. Of these, the ones you are most likely to see are the Softshell, the Red-Bellied, the Red-Eared Slider, and the Peninsula Cooter. Less common are the Yellow-Bellied and the Chicken Turtle.

The basking turtles are often collectively referred to in Florida as “river cooters”. (This apparently comes from the word “kuta” from the Mende people of Sierra Leone, meaning “turtle”, which was used by African slaves in the pre-Civil War South.) The cooters, being dark-colored with yellow stripes on their head and neck, all look pretty similar to the unpracticed eye, especially if they are in the water or covered with aquatic glop. Some individual Red-Bellies can have orangish-yellow colors on their shells instead of reddish, the Red-Ears can also have a reddish color, and they all tend to fade colors with age, making them look more alike as they get bigger. So, how can we tell them apart? To do that, we need to look at three things: the turtle’s head, the top shell (the carapace), and the bottom shell (the plastron).



Florida Red-Bellied Turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni)

As a group, the cooters range widely across the southeast US, but the Florida Red-Belly species is found only in Florida. It is probably the most common basking turtle in Pinellas County and the one you will likely see the most.

Florida Red-Bellied Turtle. Note the reddish-orangy plastron. You can also juuuuust see the yellow arrowhead marking on the top of the head pointing to its nose.

A clearer view of the arrowhead. There are also usually red markings across the carapace, here partially obscured by mud.



Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis)

Another Florida specialty found only within the state. These are also very common around Tampa Bay and are often seen basking together with Red-Bellies.

Peninsula Cooter. Note the yellow plastron. There are usually yellowish markings across the carapace, here covered by glop. (The long claws mark this one as a male.)

Instead of the Red-Belly’s arrowhead on the top of the head, the Peninsula Cooter has a thin yellow line and two doubled-back “paperclip” or “hairpin” markings.



Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Native to the lower Mississippi River drainage, this is an invasive that has been spread around much of the world by the pet trade. It has become widely introduced in Florida and has established a breeding population here at Tampa Bay.

Red-Eared Slider. The thin yellow stripes are very variable, but the bold red patch on the side of the head is unmistakable.

In Tampa Bay, the Sliders have learned to adapt to living in salt water, like this oyster bar.



Yellow-Bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta)

Not as common here as the others, the Yellow-Belly is native to the southeast states from Virginia to northern Florida, but it has also been spread to several urban areas in central and southern Florida including Tampa Bay. It is closely-enough related to interbreed with the Red-Eared Slider, and this has led to the Red-Ears swamping out the local species in many of their native areas. I have also seen hybrids around Tampa Bay, which had both the red ear patch and the big yellow S markings.

Yellow-Bellied Slider. Note the big bold yellow “S”-shaped patch on the side of the head, and the yellow plastron (those dark spots on the plastron are variable).

The “S” marking is usually visible even if the turtle is in the water.



Florida Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia chrysea)

Chicken Turtles range across the southeastern US: the Florida Chicken Turtle is a subspecies found only in central and southern Florida. Not as common as the others, and I seem to be seeing fewer of them now than I can remember seeing years ago.

Florida Chicken Turtle. Note the very long neck, the “net” pattern on the carapace, and the yellow-colored lower jaw and chin. There is also a broad yellow stripe running down the front legs, which is not visible in this photo.



And now it’s your turn … What’s up in your neck of the woods?

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