Eastern Painted Turtles are the most colorful species of turtle found in North America. They have a flat, smooth shell that is usually green. They usually have yellow or orange markings on the shell, most commonly a yellow stripe bisecting the shell and yellow and red edges. The plastron is usually tan, off white, or yellow, with or without markings. The Painted Turtle has yellow lines on the head and red lines on the neck. The jaws are narrow, with a notch in the middle of the upper lip. Like the neck, the legs and tail of the Eastern Painted Turtle often have red lines. Male Painted Turtles have long claws on their front feet and are slightly smaller than females. The Eastern Painted Turtle averages between 5 and 7 inches, and the longest specimen found was 7.1 inches.
Eastern Painted Turtles are the most colorful species of turtle found in North America. They have a flat, smooth shell that is usually green. They usually have yellow or orange markings on the shell, most commonly a yellow stripe bisecting the shell and yellow and red edges. The plastron is usually tan, off white, or yellow, with or without markings. The Painted Turtle has yellow lines on the head and red lines on the neck. The jaws are narrow, with a notch in the middle of the upper lip. Like the neck, the legs and tail of the Eastern Painted Turtle often have red lines. Male Painted Turtles have long claws on their front feet and are slightly smaller than females. The Eastern Painted Turtle averages between 5 and 7 inches, and the longest specimen found was 7.1 inches.