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This site was created by students in the herpetology class at Towson University.  Site last updated: 05/21/07.

Acknowledgements: Herb Harris - Range Maps;  Mark Tegges - Photography; Dan Lapascha & Gigi Forester - TU Herpetology Logo

Northern Red-bellied Cooter

Description

    The red-bellied turtle is large and shy.  The carapace ranges in length from 25.4 – 40cm and is smooth, dark brown to black, flattened or with slightly concave vertebral scutes, and with a red vertical forked line on each pleural scute.  The plastron is reddish with darker smudges along the scutes.  The head, neck, arms and legs are usually black with yellow stripes.  A distinct arrow-shaped yellow stripe is formed on to the top of the head by the junction of smaller yellow stripes leading from the snout and eyes.  The markings on the head and carapace tend to fade with age.  From a distance this species looks solid black.  Adult females are generally larger than males, while males have much longer, straight claws on the forelimbs.  Red-bellied hatchlings may be confused with eastern painted turtle hatchlings, however, the distinguishing feature of the red-bellied hatchling is a red plastron with a large, dark pattern along the seams of the plastral scutes.  With age the dark splotch fades to a solid red plastron.  The carapace of hatchlings is usually green with yellow vertical lines on the pleural scutes.  The skin is also green in color with narrow yellow stripes.    

 Habitat

    The red-bellied turtle prefers deeper aquatic habitats including lakes, streams, marshes, ponds and reservoirs.  Very fond of basking, this species can often be seen sunning on a log or stump in warm weather.

 Breeding

    The red-bellied turtle is capable of double-clutching.  Mating usually occurs in the spring and nesting from mid-May to July.  Larger (1 3/8”) elliptical, white eggs numbering up to 35 are deposited in a nest.  Often found up to 100 meters from water, nests are usually in loose soil.  Eggs hatch in late summer, but hatchlings may overwinter in the nest until the following spring.

 Distribution in Maryland

Range map adapted from Harris, 1975. 

Links

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=AR0171

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Meet_the_zoos_herps/default.cfm?id=87

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/species/display.asp?id=030057