The Painted Turtle must be the most common widespread turtle. Their size varies between five and six inches, so they are among the small sized turtles. The males of the species are smaller than females but they have similar characteristics. Painted turtles can be easily identified by their shells that are broad, dark flattened and smooth-edged. The margin of the carapace is marked with red and the head and limbs have a yellow-streak skin. The bottom carapace is also yellow and usually a red tint can be observed. All painted turtles have another characteristic in common and that is the upper jaw, that is notched in front. There is a small protrusion on each side of this notch. Between subspecies, the markings of the carapaces, high and low, are very different.
As most of the turtles species, the painted turtles spend a lot of time near water or underwater. Painted turtles are scavengers. Painted turtles feed mainly on plants, small animals, such as fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and some carrion. They are most of the time solitary animals, only in the summer they gather. Their shy nature makes them hard to be seen or get captured but with a quite approach you can see them basking in the sun on logs or rocks. Painted turtles are not aggressive but they tend to be frantic if captured. Six to twelve eggs are layd during the mating season, most baby turtles will hatch next spring while some will after two or three months.
The Painted Turtle can be found in most of Eastern United States, Central United States and some parts of the Western United States. Their most enjoyed locations are around ponds, swamps, ditches and slow moving water.