Yellow Ear Turtle - Trachemys scripta scripta

Classification

Class: Reptilia (Reptiles)
Subclass: Anapsida
Order: Testudines
SubOrder: Cryptodira
SuperFamilia: Testudinoidea
Familia: Emydidae
Subfamilia: Emydinae
Genus: Trachemys (7 species)
Species: scripta (12 subspecies)
SubSpecies: scripta


Brief Description
They come from the United States. They live between South-Eastern states and Canada.

They are very similar to their "cousins", the "Trachemys scripta elegans" turtles. Compared to them, they have yellow (rather than red), smaller stripes at the sides of their head. In captivity, males reach 15-22 centimeters, while females reach 23-28 centimeters.

If they are well taken care of, they can live more than 30 years. Mistakes in their care can bring, on the other hand, to a sudden death.

They are freshwater turtles. They have an oval-shaped, green carapax, that darkens with the age until it gets almost black. The bottom part of the carapax is yellow and it has black spots. It is linked to the upper part of the carapax by the lateral margins.

Sexual adulthood is reached when the turtle has a length half the maximum length for an adult animal. During the Spring, female turtles lay 10-12 eggs that will open in about two months.

Character
They are shy creatures. When there is a minimum danger, they dive into water, to hide and to seek for cover.
At the same time, though, they can be very curious. After living with human beings for years, hey can get confident with them. This difficulty in accepting humans, however, reveals that turtles are not pets.

Life in the nature
Trachemys scripta turtles are day animals. They live in still waters such as lakes, ponds, marshes, quiet rivers. The important thing, for this species, is that there are acquatic plants and muddy waters that may ease both cover and rest.

This turtle spends most of its life in the water. Notwithstanding, it also needs dry spots and a lot of Sun. Sun is essential for the carapax.

Trachemys turtles are active at a temperature between 10 and 37 Celsius degrees (50 and 99 Fahrenheit). Below 10 Celsius degrees (50 Fahrenheit) they go into hibernation, under water, hidden in the mud.

Their diet is made up of fish, insects, acquatic plants.

Legislation
At the moment, the importation of Trachemys scripta scripta turtles to Europe is legal.

To know more about their care in captivity, go to the vademecums.