What is the difference between an Eastern painted turtle and a Western painted turtle?
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. Males do not usually get quite as big as females, but their size difference is not significant.
How long does Western painted turtles live?
Painted Turtle Life Span Painted turtles have been known to live as long as 50 years in captivity, so they can truly be (nearly) lifelong companions. Given proper diet, housing, and care, you can reasonably expect a painted turtle to live for 25 to 30 years.
Where do western painted turtles live in the wild?
Western painted turtles are found near shallow streams, lakes and rivers. They live in wetland habitats especially near the margins of the water bodies. These habitats are best suitable for the entire life cycle of the turtles including food, shelter, basking, protection from predators, and place for hibernation.
What was the original name of the painted turtle?
Originally described in 1783 by Johann Gottlob Schneider as Testudo picta, the painted turtle was called Chrysemys picta first by John Edward Gray in 1855. The four subspecies were then recognized: the eastern by Schneider in 1783, the western by Gray in 1831, and the midland and southern by Louis Agassiz in 1857.
Where to find painted turtles in British Columbia?
In British Columbia these species of painted turtle are found in some northern and southern parts like in Kamloops Lake, Okanagan Valley, Shuswap Lake, and the Nelson and Creston Area. These are also spotted in some parts of Fraser Valley.
Is the western painted turtle endangered in Canada?
The Pacific Coast Populations of the Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) are Redlisted provincially and listed as Endangeredfederally by COSEWIC.
How big can a western painted turtle get?
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. Males do not usually get quite as big as females, but their size difference is not significant.
What is the lifespan of a western painted turtle?
Western painted turtles are also very long-lived pets. Captive animals have been reported to live as long as fifty years! However, most painted turtles will live between ten and twenty five years realistically.
What do western painted turtles eat?
What do painted turtles eat? What do you feed them at Warner Nature Center? In the wild, painted turtles are omnivorous—they eat fish, insects, plants, fruit, carrion, and anything else they find.
What are facts about painted turtles?
Read along to know some interesting facts about Painted Turtle below: Painted Turtle males are smaller than the females. It is recognized as one of the beautiful motley colored species. The males reach sexual maturity much before compared to females. The mating between them takes place in the water. These species usually hibernate during winter. They can survive for long without the supply of oxygen
