Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Semi-box turtle. Identifying characteristics: An oblong, dome-shelled turtle is often identified by its bright yellow throat and chin, dark grey/black top shell (carapace) with yellow/cream speckles and yellow bottom shell (plastron) with a symmetrical pattern of dark blotches. Adults may have a completely black plastron. Skin is dark and most have light speckles. Similar in appearance to box turtles, but have a larger tail. Hinged plastron allows it to close the anterior opening of its shell for protection, while the box turtle can completely close its shell. Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches. Habitat: Shallow ponds with plenty of vegetation, marshes, swamps and lake inlets. They prefer shallow water and muddy bottoms. Food: Carnivorous. Primarily snails, insects, crayfish and small vertebrates. Temperament:  docile Other Info.:  Tolerant of cold temperatures, but not heat, which is why they are generally distributed in northern states.		Distribution Scattered across the finger lakes and eastern NY Status: Threatened in NY due to diminishing habitat. Threatened in many other states.
Bog Turtle Clemmys muhlenbergii Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Muhlenberg turtle Identifying characteristics: A small turtle with a characteristic bright orange or yellow blotch on each side of its neck. The skin is dark and the top shell (carapace) is somewhat rectangular (looking top down). Some aged specimens may have smooth shells from burrowing in the silt. Shell is domed, but not very high. Size: Average shell length 3-3.5 inches. Habitat: Wetland bogs with plenty of moss or silt substrate, wet fields. Near clean water sources and with plenty of sunlight for basking. High humidity and abundant plants, but little tree cover. Since these habitats are usually successional and eventually develop trees and shrubs, bog turtles are ever-threatened and these areas are being naturally and artificially altered. Food: Omnivorous. Seeds, berries, insects, slugs, snails, earthworms, frogs, snakes. Temperament:  elusive, wary Other Info.: Their small (1 inch) young are easy targets for predators. Very sensitive to environment quality. Considered the smallest turtles species in the US.		Distribution Few populations in western NY and Hudson Valley. Status: Endangered in NY due to diminishing habitat. Federally Threatened
Common Map Turtle Graptemys geographica Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		Identifying characteristics: An low-profile, dome-shelled turtle is named by its distinctive top shell (carapace) that has a pattern of yellow lines that resemble erratic river lines on a map, which may fade with age. The shell color may range from a brown to olive to dark grey. The carapace has a shallow dorsal keel and a moderately serrated back edge. The bottom shell (plastron) is most often yellow. It's skin is a dark olive with yellow, cream or orange striping. Small light spot located behind each eye. Size: Average male shell length of 4-6 inches. Females are larger: 6-10 inches. Habitat: Wetland habitats with plenty of vegetation,  slow current and soft bottoms such as some rivers and large creeks, reservoirs, large lakes. Food: Omnivorous. Snails, Insects and larvae, clams, crayfish and aquatic plants. Temperament:  elusive, wary Other Info.:  The majority of this turtle's time is spent under water, though may be found basking in groups on logs. They are diurnal, active both day and night. Females have broader heads and jaws more adapted for cracking mollusk and crayfish shells.		Distribution Found in western NY and around Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes region. Status: none
Common Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Stinkpot Identifying characteristics: A generally small turtle with a highly-domed oval top shell (carapace), usually black or brown in color. The carapace may distinctive keel, which wears with age. The skin is dark olive and there are 2 yellow lines that run from the snout to the neck. Their heads are triangular with a pointed snout and sharp beak. The legs are short and the neck is long. The tails of mails are usually longer than females. Juveniles may have a  rough shell. Size: Average shell length of 3.5-4.5 inches. Habitat: Mostly aquatic, bottom-dweller. Shallow, well vegetated areas of  lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers and creeks with soft bottoms. Food: Carnivorous. Primarily crayfish, mollusks, insects and small small fish. Temperament:  elusive, wary, but aggressive if cornered. Harmless. Other Info.:  Release a foul odor when threatened. Will bask on logs and trees over or close to water, offering them a quick escape. A very common pet species. Rarely seen out of water.		Distribution Spread across central and western NY as well as adjacent states. Status: none
Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra s. serpentina Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Snapper Identifying characteristics: A large turtle with a massive head, long, highly mobile neck and powerful beak-like jaws. The top shell (carapace) comes in various shades of brown with pronounced ridges (that lessen with age) and a serrated back. Their tails are long and spiked. They almost look like they have outgrown their shell with their robust body structure.  Their skin is rough and bumpy. Size: Average shell length of 8-14 inches. 10-35 lbs. Habitat: Aquatic. Shallow ponds lakes and slow-moving rivers/canals with muddy bottoms and plenty of vegetation. They will travel on land, often across roads, to reach a new habitat or to lay eggs. Food: Omnivorous. Fish, carrion, invertebrates, aquatic plants, small birds and mammals. Temperament:  aggressive and dangerous. Other Info.:  Since they cannot retract their head and feet fully into the shell, they use aggressive displays when confronted. Their bite is quick and strong, often injuring people, sometimes even taking off a digit. Some snappers can reach their neck half-way around their shell, making it risky to handle them. Picking them up by the tail will most often injure them.		Distribution Well-distributed across the state. Status: Common
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina Click images for enlargements and license information		AKA: Semi-box turtle. Identifying characteristics: This high dome-shelled turtle is often identified by its completely hinged carapace, which allows it to close its shell and completely encapsulate itself. Its shell is usually brown/olive/black with brightly-colored patterns of lines, spots and blotches. Skin color is variable and may share the variable colored patterns of the shell. Younger turtles tend to have brighter colors. Their toes are only  slightly webbed. Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches. Habitat: Forested areas, damp meadows and fields and sometimes marshes and bogs. During hot, dry weather, will burrow into damp muddy areas. Can often be found in under forest debris. Food: Omnivorous. Primarily snails, slugs, insects, fruits, mushrooms (some of which are toxic to humans) and small amphibians. Their diets are opportunistic. Temperament:  docile Other Info.:  Often kept as pets. Like most turtles, makes are often identified by their concave bottom shell (plastron). They are diurnal, active day and night.		Distribution Scattered throughout western NY and the Hudson Valley region. Status: rare Special Concern in NY Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.
Eastern Redbelly Turtle Pseudemys rubriventris Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Red-bellied Cooter Identifying characteristics: A large turtle with an elongate, oval shell, which comes in brown or black with some red/orange markings. The bottom shell (plastron) is red/orange with black blotches. The skin is black with yellow/cream stripes. The eyes appear to also have a stripe through them, probably as an adaptation to help them hide. Size: Average shell length of 10-14 inches. Habitat: Aquatic. Relatively deep water, rivers, creeks, marshes, ponds, lakes with soft bottoms and plenty of vegetation. Food: Omnivorous as juveniles, herbivorous as adults. Primarily snails, fish, tadpoles, earthworms, insects and aquatic plants. Temperament:  docile, wary Other Info.:  Bask on rocks close to water.		Distribution Scattered across central and western NY. Status:  uncommon, exotic
Eastern Spiny Softshell Apalone s. spinifera Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image. Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Spiny Soft-shell Identifying characteristics: This turtle is an easy one to identify with its very flat, round and soft skin shell. This turtle looks like a brownish/green pancake with head and legs. The shell lacks the boney scutes and is made of tough skin, but may have some small spines in the front. Males have a light green/olive shell with small black spots. Females have a dark green shell and the spots may be a large blotches. The legs and feet have a pattern of dark lines and speckles.The snout is large, pointed and is used as a snorkel. It may have two lines running down the head from the snout past the eyes, both on the top and bottom. The feet are highly webbed. Size: Average shell length of 14 inches. Some reaching over 25 inches. Females are generally twice the size of males. Habitat: Aquatic. Ponds, marshes, rivers and lake with muddy bottoms and minimal vegetation. Require elevated sandy nesting areas near shore. Food: Carnivorous. Insects, crayfish. Use foraging and ambush techniques to capture prey. Temperament:  wary, elusive Other Info.:  Diurnal: active both day and night. Often found basking on logs close to water. When disturbed, will dive under and bury themselves in the mud or sand. Well-adapted for staying under water for a long time, as they can adsorbed oxygen through their skin. Very fast swimmers.		Distribution Scattered across western NY Status: Special Concern in NY Diminishing as waterways become more polluted.
Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta Click images for enlargements and license information		Identifying characteristics: A mid-sized turtle with a relatively low-domed top shell (carapace) that comes in olive to black with yellow/red accents. These accents may diminish with age. The bottom shell (plastron) is a bright orange/red and has a beautiful symmetrical design that look like it was painted. Yellow striped skin. Size: Average shell length of 7-9 inches. Habitat: Most aquatic habitats, but prefers shallow, calm areas of lakes, ponds and marshes with plenty of vegetation. Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants, slugs, snails, insects, small fish, carrion, algae. Temperament:  docile, wary Other Info.:  One of the most common turtles in N. America ranging across the entire continent. Will bask in groups on logs and banks.		Distribution Common across the state. Status: Common
Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans Click images for enlargements and license information Click here for alternate image.		AKA: Red-eared Terrapin, Elegant Terrapin Identifying characteristics: Easily identified by the broad red stripe running from the eye towards the shell, although this may fade in older specimens. Sometimes they may also have a red spot on top of their head. The top shell (carapace) of juveniles start out as a bright green with yellow and darker green patterns of wavy lines. As they age, the carapace becomes more yellow, then  a more dull and uniform shade of olive. Elderly specimens may have brown to black shells with no patterns. Size: Average shell length of 5-6 inches for males and 8 inches for females. Habitat: Quiet aquatic habitat with abundant vegetation. Ponds, lakes, backwaters. Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants, slugs, snails, insects, small fish, young birds and eggs. Prefers dragonfly larvae. Temperament:  docile, wary Other Info.:  Intolerant of colder temperature, which limits their range and survival in the north. Often found basking on rocks, logs, grass and banks. They are very popular pets and have been introduced as invasive species in many parts of the world due to the pet trade.		Distribution Some populations scattered throughout the state. Populations are result of artificial introduction. Status: rare, but very common throughout the world and in every pet store.
Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata Click images for enlargements and license information		Identifying characteristics: Aptly named for its spotted shell, this small turtle has a dark brown or black top shell (carapace) with a pattern of scattered round yellow spots. The carapace It's bottom shell (plastron), is either yellow or faint orange with a black blotch on each boney plate (scute). Shell markings may fade with age. Its skin is black and has the same yellow spots as the shell. Size: Average shell length of 4.5 inches. Habitat: Aquatic, preferring shallow waters with muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation. They will travel on land to bask, nest or search for a new habitat and will often be found hiding under leaf debris. Food: Omnivorous. Aquatic and terrestrial plants, slugs, snails, insects, small fish, crayfish, carrion, algae. Temperament:  docile Other Info.:  Tolerant of cold temperatures, but not heat, which is why they are generally distributed in northern states. A common pet.		Distribution Distributed in small populations  across western NY and the Hudson Valley region. Status: Special Concern in NY due to loss of habitat and pollution.
Wood Turtle Glemmys insculpta Click images for enlargements and license information		Identifying characteristics: An oblong, dome-shelled turtle with a brown/grey top shell (carapace)  with a small central keel. The color of the shell and its fine grain ring pattern looks similar to wood, probably leading to its name. The bottom shell (plastron) is yellow with a black blotch on each boney plate (scute). The head is generally black, often with small colored spots, while the limbs may be a lighter color. The neck and portions of the limbs close to the shell are often a yellow or orange. Size: Average shell length of 6-10 inches. Habitat: Semi-aquatic. Although prefers moving water, such as rocky or sandy streams and rivers, they can be found away from water in bushy and wooded areas. They need moist sand for nesting. Food: Omnivorous. Herbaceous and woody plants, fruits, fungi, algae, slugs, snails, insects, earthworms, carrion. Feeds both in and out of water. Temperament:  docile Other Info.:  Diurnal (active both day and night). An odd behavior has been observed in some populations of wood turtle: by stomping their feet or shell on the ground, they encourage earthworms to surface, then they feast on them.		Distribution Well distributed across the state and adjacent states. Status: none, but numbers are diminishing due to loss of habitat and "removal" by humans.