Digging for egg laying 



Painted Turtle (Cbrysemys picta) 



Appearance. The upper shell of this species is flat and smooth, and 

 is widest near the posterior end and smoothly rounded behind. In 

 color it is a dark reddish brown or dark olive. The scales have a 

 tnore or less evident border of yellow. The scales along the upper 

 and lower edge of the upper shell have blood-red lines or blotches. 

 The brown head has four yellow spots, one behind each eye and the 

 other pair at the back. The underside of the head and neck are 

 liberally streaked with bright yellow. The lower shell is bright 

 yellow except for a rectangular blotch in the middle. This blotch 

 is made up of many parallel fine lines, often blurred together. 

 There are lines of red on the legs and tail. 



The claws on the front feet of the male are two or three times as 

 long as those on the hind feet. 



Size. The average length of the female is said to be about 142 

 mm.; of the male, about 118 mm. 



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