Eastern Painted Turtle

AlArchie · #1 02-08-2006, 10:53 AM

Here's five photos of the eastern painted turtle. I could only load one, but Bob D got the rest in for me...thanks, Bob!

Use photos for placement and shape of the individual scutes, side head profile, front and back feet. Photo #4 has good definition of the individual scute contours, and the colors are pretty well portrayed in the others, as she was still wet when I took those.

The base color for the carapace is NOT black, but various shades of very dark green. The spaces between the scutes are lighter in color, but are not really delineated.....little difficult to explain.

Colors on the center portion of the plaston are muted. This is due to surface wear as ol' Pond Petunia drags herself across the ground.

Al

Marci MN · #2 02-09-2006, 12:45 PM

Nice shots! Those are the type of turtles that make our lawnmowing a bit difficult in the summer time. One year there were over 100 of them laying eggs in my lawn.. making it hard to mow around. I just gave up and waited a week to get the lawn mowed.

I'll try to watch for the babies and get a few pictures of them added to this post too. They are tiny.. like a quarter in size.

MrDantastic · #3 02-10-2006, 10:52 PM

And to think I had to catch all my turtles...yours just came to you!

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #4 02-11-2006, 09:33 AM

Excellent pictures! Maybe I will carve one of these to go with the sea turtle! thanks Dave

Marci MN · #5 02-11-2006, 04:46 PM

I get these guys trotting through my yard too. These are not one of my favorite animals... I had to have my pony tail cut off at the scalp because of one of these guys. *shivers*

AlArchie · #6 02-11-2006, 08:15 PM

Marci, what the heck were ya doin' that close to a snapper??? Lucky he didn't get your nose!

Must be a lake or pond near your place.

Al

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #7 02-11-2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marci MN

I get these guys trotting through my yard too. These are not one of my favorite animals... I had to have my pony tail cut off at the scalp because of one of these guys. *shivers*

hummmm I guess thats one of those "don't ask, don't tell stories LOL!"

Marci MN · #8 02-11-2006, 09:49 PM

This is my place. Its almost an island. You see the water..but the cattails are up to the road on both sides. Yup..turtle central here.

Oh..thats only half of the driveway. I'm standing on the curve/hill thats the half way point.

Marci MN · #9 02-11-2006, 09:56 PM

Oh and the pony tail thing.. LOL

I was small.. about 7 and my brother about 5 and we were in the back seat being like normal siblings. Fighting. Dad had found a snapper and picked it up for gramps to butcher. This was a station wagon. Kids in back seat..turtle in the back part.

Us kids were picking on each other and I looked out the window on my side.. my pony tail got tight and I thought it was my brother pulling it. I turned to pick on him back..and was eyeball to eyeball with that snapper. Dad about drove off the road from my screams.. and I think I kicked a hole in the back of the front seat.. pulling like crazy to get my pony tail back. My brother was out his door before the car stopped he was so scared.
Dad, he didnt know what to do. He tried to teast the thing to let go and snap at him.. meanwhile keeping his hands on my face so I couldnt see nothing. Mom finally said for him to use his pocket knife and cut my tail off. Dullest knife in Minnesota that day. Dad put a hub cap between turtle head and his hands so he could cut my hair and not get snapped on. I didnt sleep for the nightmares. I still get them. Needless to say that turtle was shoved out the back of the wagon with my tail still in his mouth.

This pix wasnt taken by me.. nope.. I was waaaaay gone ... LOL

Mryooper · #10 02-11-2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marci MN

Oh and the pony tail thing.. LOL

I was small.. about 7 and my brother about 5 and we were in the back seat being like normal siblings. Fighting. Dad had found a snapper and picked it up for gramps to butcher. This was a station wagon. Kids in back seat..turtle in the back part.

Us kids were picking on each other and I looked out the window on my side.. my pony tail got tight and I thought it was my brother pulling it. I turned to pick on him back..and was eyeball to eyeball with that snapper. Dad about drove off the road from my screams.. and I think I kicked a hole in the back of the front seat.. pulling like crazy to get my pony tail back. My brother was out his door before the car stopped he was so scared.
Dad, he didnt know what to do. He tried to teast the thing to let go and snap at him.. meanwhile keeping his hands on my face so I couldnt see nothing. Mom finally said for him to use his pocket knife and cut my tail off. Dullest knife in Minnesota that day. Dad put a hub cap between turtle head and his hands so he could cut my hair and not get snapped on. I didnt sleep for the nightmares. I still get them. Needless to say that turtle was shoved out the back of the wagon with my tail still in his mouth.

This pix wasnt taken by me.. nope.. I was waaaaay gone ... LOL

Nothing like a good ole snapper to boil on a hot summer day lol...biggest snaping turtle I seen was in Albany Il and it was brought up from Arkansas and it was 100 pounds . Another turtle i like is the leatherback or soft shell pretty oldd looking critter.