Alternate name: Florida Red-bellied Cooter
Family: Emydidae, Pond and Box Turtles view all from this family
Description 8-13 3/8" (20.3-34 cm). Prominent notch at tip of upper jaw flanked by toothlike cusps; arrow-shaped stripe atop head (shaft between eyes, point at snout). Carapace blackish, highly arched; vertebral scutes convex; red bar on each marginal scute, with dark blotch on underside. Plastron reddish; patternless or with dark semicircles along scute seams that fade with age. Male has elongated, slightly curved claws on front feet.
Breeding Nests early June through August, but most clutches are laid mid-June to mid-July.
Habitat Ponds, lakes, sloughs, marshes, and mangrove-bordered creeks.
Range Florida peninsula and Apalachicola area of panhandle.
Discussion Active year-round, the Florida Red-belly is often seen basking with Florida Cooters and River Cooters on logs or floating mats of vegetation. Because of its thick shell, it can bask for long periods. Adults prefer a diet of aquatic plants.
