Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a red belly slider and recently rescued a 3 leged slider from the middle of a 4 lane road a few days a go but cant figure out what it is? it looks just like the red belly
but the 3 bars on top of her shell are yellow. any ideas?

Any more information or a picture would be helpful. These yellow bars on the shell can account for a number of the Pseudemys or Trachemys. What is the head pattern/color, plastron pattern/color, and importantly for distiguishing members of the Pseudemys, are there and what type of pattern on bridge and marginal scutes conneting the carapace and plastron. Be glad to help.

-JG

what is the one on bottom i know the top is red

While I know the turtle is one of two species, Peninsula Cooter or Florida Cooter, and I'm leaning toward Peninsula, I still need a couple more pieces of information. Where are you located (city)? Can you provide a pic of the top of the head? And do the roundish black markings on the underside marginal edges of the bridge of the plastron have any yellow areas in the black or are they completely black? If you are not positive, a picture of the turtle on its back would help solve the puzzle. Both peninsularis and floridana have well marked and very similar carapaces as well as both have yellow plastrons absent of black markings. Typically peninsularis will often have larger central yellowish markings on the carpacial scutes as your specimen demonstrates, but this is not a clear cut way to tell. Often the carapaces of floridana will look like peninsularis and vice versa. Also, peninsularis is the only cooter species with "hairpin" markings (different than laterally running yellow stripes common of all cooters) on top of the head so a head pic would help out. These two species will intergrade as well. Those darn cooters! I know this seems like a process but I'd rather not give an answer until the trademarks of the two species are revealed.

-JG