Size:  Length ranges from 4.5 to 8 inches (10-18 cm).
Description:  Smooth and attractive shells with red, yellow, and/or black patterns makes this turtle very easily distinguishable.  They are known for their tendency to be found basking on logs during sunny afternoons.  Those found in North Carolina, the Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta), are unique due to the large scutes which lay in straight rows across its back.  Males can be differentiated from females by their longer foreclaws, longer tails, and more depressed shells; males are also usually smaller than females.
Habitat:  Ideally they prefer ponds, marshes, and shorelines of lakes; any area where the water is relatively shallow, aquatic vegetation is profuse and the bottom is soft.
Range:  Four subspecies of painted turtles range from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and as far north as Southern Canada.  These turtles are found throughout North Carolina, with the exceptions of the Outer Banks, Southern Coastal Plain, and at high altitudes in the western part of the state.
Behavior: Often seen basking on logs or pond banks.
Diet:  Aquatic vegetation, crayfish, insects, and small molusks.

	Range of the Painted Turtle in the Carolinas and Virginia	hatchling painted turtles