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Red-Eared Slider

Trachemys scripta elegans

Photo by Jim Nelson
Published on Project Noah
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39.6834, -104.836

Field Notes

Description:

This turtle was sunning itself on a log in the Jewell Wetlands in Aurora, CO. It has yellow stripes in the head, tail and legs. This turtle has a red stripe on the head, which makes me believe it to be a Red-Eared Slider, vs a painted Turtle. I invite comment if someone more versed in turtles disagrees with my identification.

Habitat:

Creeks and ponds in Colorado. Some references I have checked do not show this turtle native to Colorado. The USGS in the attached article indicates..."In Colorado, individual pond sliders (subspecies not given) have been collected from the counties of Boulder, Denver, Mesa, and Rio Blanco (Livo et al., 1998)."

Reference Links:

Red-eared slider, Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta) - FactSheet

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)
Jim Nelson
Addition made to include the Reptiles and Amphibians of Colorado mission. Thanks for the input.
BlueAppaloosa
Nice pic! Would you mind adding this to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Colorado mission? http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/175186002 And no, Red-Eared Sliders are not a native species. There are a lot of them though, either released pets of the descendants of released pets.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Mission WILD
Mission
Reptiles and Amphibians of Colorado
Mission
2015 Best Wildlife Photo
Photographed
PublishedAugust 24, 2015

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