BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Chrysemys picta
Painted Turtle
| Scientific Name: | Chrysemys picta (Schneider, 1783) | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Chrysemys picta bellii
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| English Name: | Painted Turtle | ||||||||||
| English Name Synonyms: |
Western Painted Turtle
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| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Starkey, D. E., H. B. Shaffer, R. L. Burke, M.R.J. Forstner, J. B. Iverson, F. J. Janzen, A.G.J. Rhodin, and G. R. Ultsch. 2003. Molecular systematics, phylogeography, and the effects of Pleistocene glaciation in the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) complex. Evolution 57:119-128. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | The CDC reports on this element at the species level, as only one subspecies occurs within the province (Chrysemys picta bellii). | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | R-CHPI | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Feb 2024) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3 (Mar 2018) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | No Status | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Threatened / Special Concern (Nov 2016) | ||||||||||
| COSEWIC Comments: | Bellii Supbspecies. The Pacific Coast population is Threatened and the Intermountain - Rocky Mountain population is Special Concern. | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Threatened / Special Concern (Aug 2021) | ||||||||||
| SARA Comments: | Bellii Supbspecies. The Pacific Coast population is Threatened and the Intermountain - Rocky Mountain population is Special Concern. | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | Shell hard, somewhat flattened; bright yellow lines on head and limbs; lower shell orange or reddish, with conspicuous dark markings in juveniles; upper shell often with narrow yellow lines (reduced in larger individuals), less often with dark reticulation; upper jaw notched at tip; maximum upper shell length of female about 25 cm, rarely more than 21 cm (males are much smaller). Mature male: vent located beyond rear edge of upper shell with tail extended; fingernails very long; lower shell not concave. Mature female: vent at or inside rear edge of upper shell with tail extended; fingernails not especially long. Juvenile: as in adult female, with a deep crease across abdominal shields of lower shell. Hatchling: upper shell keeled; lower shell vivid orange/red, with a central dark figure having a sinuous outer edge; upper shell length 19-28 mm (average 23-24 mm). Eggs: elliptical, whitish, smooth surface with small pores; shell initially flexible, then becomes more rigid, 21-36 mm x 15-21 mm (mostly about 29-33 x 18-19 mm). Source: Hammerson (1999). | ||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Most nesting occurs between late May and early July, perhaps earlier in the south. Individual females often produce more than one clutch/year in most of the range (often 2 in Wisconsin, 2-3 and sometimes 4 in Nebraska). Clutch size averages 4 in Virginia, 8 in Maine and Michigan, 10 in Wisconsin and New Mexico, 13 in Washington, 14 in Nebraska, 16 in Idaho, 20 in Saskatchewan. Hatchlings usually remain in the nest in winter and emerge in spring. Females are sexually mature in 5 years (Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Mexico), 5-6 years (Nebraska), 6 years (Ontario and Virginia), 6-7 years (Idaho), 7 years (Canada, Michigan), 8 years (Wisconsin), or 8-10 years (Washington). Males mature at younger ages. In Nebraska, some females apparently survived beyond 30 years (Iverson and Smith 1993). In Michigan, warmer years with a longer growing season resulted more rapid attainment of sexual maturity in males (Frazer et al., 1993, Am. Midl. Nat. 130:314-324). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | In many areas, eggs and hatchlings incur high mortality from various predators (e.g., see Christens and Bider 1987). However, of 13 monitored nests in northern Idaho, none was lost to predation; overall survivorship (from laying until emergence from nest) for 193 eggs was 0.21-0.33 (Lindeman 1991). Annual survivorship of adult females in Virginia was high (0.94-0.96) (Mitchell 1988). In Michigan, annual survivorship of adult males and females was 0.64-0.83 and 0.29-0.50, respectively; annual survivorship of juveniles was 0.21-0.51; maximum age was estimated at 34 years; population density increased and survival rate apparently decreased over a period of 2+ decades (Frazer et al. 1991). In Nebraska, annual adult survivorship was at least 91% (Iverson and Smith 1993). See Iverson (1991) for a compilation of survivorship data on eggs and juveniles. Density in ponds and lakes varies greatly; up to several hundred per ha in some areas, as few as a dozen per ha in other areas. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / Y / N / na / |
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| Global Migration Comments: | Females migrate between terrestrial nesting areas and aquatic habitats. In small marsh systems, home range size may be very small (e.g., average of 1.2 ha in Michigan) (Rowe 2003), whereas in rivers individual home range sizes are much larger (e.g., 7-26 km (MacCulloch and Secoy 1983). |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Anthropogenic / Industrial / Facultative - frequent use
Anthropogenic / Urban/Suburban / Facultative - frequent use Lakes / Lake / Obligate Lakes / Pond/Open Water / Obligate Riparian / Gravel Bar / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Forest / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Herbaceous / Obligate Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Obligate Wetland / Bog / Obligate Wetland / Fen / Obligate Wetland / Marsh / Obligate Wetland / Swamp / Obligate |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Painted turtles live in slow-moving, shallow waters with soft bottoms, basking sites, and aquatic vegetation: streams, marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs. They may colonize seasonally flooded areas near permanent water. Hibernations occurs in water. Females dig nests in soft soil in open areas up to several hundred meters from water (1-621 meters, average 90 meters, in Quebec, Christens and Bider 1987; 1-164 meters, average 60 meters, in Michigan, Congdon and Gatten 1989). Hatchlings usually remain in nest in winter and emerge in spring (Packard and Packard 1995). Hatchling painted turtles are able to withstand periodic partial freezing of their body fluids as they overwinter in shallow nests in the north. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Carnivore: Adult, Immature
Herbivore: Adult, Immature Invertivore: Adult, Immature Piscivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Feeds opportunistically on various plants and animals, living or dead, obtained from bottom of water or among aquatic plants. Diet is dominated by invertebrates in some areas. Juvenile diet sometimes includes cladoceran zooplankton (Mauer 1995, Herpetological Review 26:34). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Phenology Comments: | In most of the range, this turtle is most active diurnally, March (late April or May in far north) through October, though warm weather may stimulate activity in other months, especially in the south.Evening activity on land may occur during nesting; in Michigan, peak initiation of nesting migrations occurred between 1600 and 1800 h (Congdon and Gatten 1989). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 25/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Range extends from southern Canada, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, south through Oregon, northern Idaho, Colorado, and most of the central and eastern United States (but not Florida), and disjunctly southwest to southwestern Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua (Mexico). This species has been introduced in several locations in the western United States and western Canada. Populations from the Gulf Coast to southern Illinois, formerly included in C. picta, are now recognized as a distinct species, C. dorsalis (Starkey et al. 2003). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 28, 2010 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Blood, D.A., and M. Macartney. 1998. Painted Turtle. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch. 6pp. |
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Christens, E., and J. R. Bider. 1987. Nesting activity and hatching success of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) in southwestern Quebec. Herpetologica 43:55-65 |
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Christiansen, J. L., and E. O. Moll. 1973. Latitudinal reproductive variation in a single subspecies of painted turtle, Chrysemys picta bellii. Herpetologica 29:152-163. |
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Clarke, R., and A. Gruenig. 2001. Summary Report: Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta belli) Nest Site Enhancement and Monitoring, Elizabeth Lake, Cranbrook, BC. Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro, B.C. Gov. 12pp. |
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Congdon, J. D., and R. E. Gatten, Jr. 1989. Movements and energetics of nesting Chrysemys picta. Herpetologica 45:94-100. |
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DeGraaf, R. M., and D. D. Rudis. 1983a. Amphibians and reptiles of New England. Habitats and natural history. Univ. Massachusetts Press. vii + 83 pp. |
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Ernst, C. H. 1971. Chrysemys picta. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 106.1-106.4. |
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Ernst, C. H. 1988. Chrysemys. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 438: 1-8. |
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Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1972. Turtles of the United States. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 347 pp. |
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Ernst. C. H., and J. E. Lovich. 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Second edition, revised and updated. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. xii + 827 pp. |
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Frazer, N. B., J. W. Gibbons, and J. L. Greene. 1991. Growth, survivorship and longevity of painted turtles Chrysemys picta in a southwestern Michigan marsh. Am. Midl. Nat. 125:245-258. |
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Gibbons, J.W. 1968a. Population structure and survivorship in the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. Copeia 1968(2): 260-268. |
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Gregory, P.T., and R.W. Campbell. 1984. The Reptiles of British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Handb. 102pp. |
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Iverson, J. B. 1991c. Patterns of survivorship in turtles (order Testudines). Canadian J. Zoology 69:385-391. |
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Iverson, J. B., and G. R. Smith. 1993. Reproductive ecology of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) in the Nebraska Sandhills and across its range. Copeia 1993:1-21. |
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Lindeman, P. V. 1991. Survivorship of overwintering hatchling painted turtles, Chrysemys picta, in northern Idaho. Can. Field-Nat. 105:263-266. |
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Lindeman, P. V. 1996. Comparative life history of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) in two habitats in the inland Pacific Northwest. Copeia 1996:114-130. |
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Maltby, F.L. 2000. Painted Turtle Nest Site Enhancement and Monitoring, Red Devil Hill Nest Site at Revelstoke, BC. Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro, B.C. Minist. Environ, Lands and Parks, B.C. Fish. in partnership with Arrow Heights Elementary School, City of Revelstoke. 18pp. |
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Maltby, F.L. 2000. Summary Report: Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Nest Site Enhancement and Monitoring, Red Devil Hill Nest Site at Revelstoke, BC. Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro, B.C. Gov. 18pp. |
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Mitchell, J. C. 1988. Population ecology and life histories of the freshwater turtles Chrysemys picta and Sternotherus odoratus in an urban lake. Herpetol. Monogr. 2:40-61. |
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Moll, E. O. 1973. Latitudinal and intersubspecific variation in reproduction of the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta. Herpetologica 29:307-318. |
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Orchard, S.A. 1988. Species Notes for Reptiles. Vol. 3 in A.P. Harcombe, tech. ed. 1988. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch. 44pp. |
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Ovaska, K, S. Lennart, C Engelstoft, L. Matthias, E. Wind and J. MacGarvie. 2004. Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia. Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Ecosystems Standards and Planning, Biodiversity Branch |
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Packard, G. C., and M. J. Packard. 1995. A review of the adaptive strategy used by hatchling painted turtles to survive in the cold. Herpetological Review 26:8, 10-12. |
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The Reptiles of British Columbia: Western Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta bellii. 2004. Univ. Coll. of the Cariboo, and B.C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Prot. Online. Available: http://www.bcreptiles.ca/turtles/westernpaint.htm |
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Vogt, R. C. 1981c. Natural history of amphibians and reptiles of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Public Museum. 205 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2010. Species Summary: Chrysemys picta. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Apr 20, 2024).