Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Reptiles
The painted turtle is North America's most widespread native turtle, with a rich evolutionary history that stretches back 15 million years. As resilient survivors belonging to the pond turtle family Emydidae, these turtles adapted creatively to the planet's changing climate. During the last Ice Age, they split into distinct groups and evolved into three regionally unique subspecies: the Eastern painted turtle, the Midland painted turtle, and the Western painted turtle. Scientists still debate whether a fourth group, the Southern painted turtle, is its own separate species or another subspecies. Because they are highly adaptable and widely distributed across fresh waters from Canada to Mexico, their conservation status is listed as Least Concern, meaning they are currently thriving in the wild.
Classification
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Emydidae
- Genus
- Chrysemys