Painted turtles are the most widespread turtle population in the world. But where exactly do they live? To find out the answer to this question I decided to do some research, here is what I found out.
Where do painted turtles live? Painted turtles live in lakes, ponds, streams, and other bodies of water. They are spread through the northern and eastern parts of the United States, and in Canada and Mexico.
Painted turtles can be found in more than half of the United States, but they do prefer some places over others, depending on the climate and the vegetation of the area. Another important thing to keep in mind is that there are four different types of painted turtles, and each species occupies an entire area, there are very few spots where different species meet. So let’s take a closer look at where do painted turtles live, and what are the four different species.
Since every species lives in a different place, let’s start with a small description of each species and see the differences between them.
The Four Species of Painted Turtles
The four different species of painted turtles are called: Eastern painted turtles, Western painted turtles, Southern painted turtles, and Midland painted turtles.
Let’s start with the eastern turtles.
Eastern Painted Turtles
Eastern painted turtles have a green-black color, with red markings on the side of the shell. Sometimes a pale line can be observed in the middle of the shell going from the front to the back.
The males and the females usually reach about the same size when they grow up, and that is somewhere between 5 and 7 inches.
The eastern painted turtle is the most pretentious of all painted turtles when it comes to water. So if the water of the area where they live drops in quality for some reason, they will migrate to another place. In general, they live in lakes and ponds.
Western Painted Turtles
Western painted turtles also have a green-black color. On their head, neck, and legs they have very pronounced yellow lines. And the back of the shell is usually very colored.
They have the biggest population of all painted turtles, and they are also the biggest in size, most turtles reaching sizes between 10 and 12 inches.
Since they are the most numerous population, it’s normal to find them in a lot of places, but in general, they can be found in: lakes, streams, and ponds.
Southern Painted Turtles
The southern painted turtle has a very distinctive feature from the rest of the painted turtles, and that is the red line from the middle of the shell that goes from the front of the shell to the back.
They are the smallest species of painted turtles, most turtles reaching sizes between 4 and 6 inches.
They like to spend their time in quiet waters, with a lot of vegetation. So they can be usually found near shores and coves.
Midland Painted Turtles
Midland-painted turtles share the same color as the rest of the painted turtles, one distinct feature in appearance is that they have pale yellow lines on their head and neck and red lines or spots on the rest of their body.
When it comes to size they can vary a lot, some turtles will reach only 5 inches, while other turtles will be able to reach 10 inches.
Like the Southern painted turtles, they like to spend their time in quiet waters, with a lot of vegetation. So they can be usually found near shores and coves.
Now that we covered a few things about the different types of painted turtles, including where they like to live, let’s look at the exact locations where they can be found.
Where Painted Turtles Live
As you can see on the map the population of painted turtles spreads through forty-five states in the United States, one of Mexico’s states, and in eight Canadian provinces.
Here is a list of what region each painted turtle species occupies:
The Western painted turtle occupies the following regions:
- Washington
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Arizona
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Chihuahua ( Mexico )
- British Columbia ( Canada )
- Alberta ( Canada )
- Saskatchewan ( Canada )
- Manitoba ( Canada )
- Ontario ( Canada )
The Midland painted turtle occupies the following regions:
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Ohio
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Delaware
- Ontario ( Canada )
- Quebec ( Canada )
The Midland painted turtle occupies the following regions:
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Alabama
- New Brunswick ( Canada )
- Nova Scotia ( Canada )
The Southern painted turtle occupies the following regions:
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
Related Questions
Can you keep a painted turtle as a pet? Yes, painted turtles are great pets, especially for beginners. They are very hardy compared to other turtle species, so you don’t have to worry about doing something wrong.
How long do painted turtles live? A captive painted turtle can easily live between 40 and 50 years. But a wild painted turtle will usually live around 20 to 30 years. This is because wild turtles have to deal with a lot more problems than pet turtles. Those problems usually include predators and lack of food, among many other things.
How long can a painted turtle go without eating? A painted turtle can usually go without eating for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the age of the turtle. But when they are hibernating they can go between 4 and 6 months without eating.
Do painted turtles bite? Yes, painted turtles can bite. But usually, they are not a very aggressive species, so unless they are provoked they won’t bite.
Do painted turtles lay eggs? Yes, like all turtle species, painted turtles reproduce with the help of eggs. Painted turtles usually mate during spring and fall, but it all depends on the temperature, tot the calendarist season.
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