Painted Turtle

Painted turtles are brightly marked. They have a smooth shell about 10 to 18 cm long. The turtle has a relatively flat upper shell with red and yellow markings on a black or greenish brown background. The male and female grow at a similar rate to become 85mm long (female) and 130 mm long (male). The growth rate, for both male and female, is rapid during the first several years of the of their lives. These turtles are described as a small to medium sized reptile. At ages 7 years, for the female, and 3 years, for the male, the painted turtles are expected to be at their maturity levels. Their shell acts as protection, but since the ribs are fused to the shell, the turtle cannot expand its chest to breathe but must force air in and out of the lungs by alternately contracting the flank and shoulder muscles.