Alternate name: Pacific Pond Turtle

Family: Emydidae, Pond and Box Turtles view all from this family

Description Dark brown or dull olive, with or without darker reticulations or streaking. Plastron yellowish, sometimes with dark blotches in the centers of the scutes. Carapace low and broad. Plastron on males concave.

Dimensions 8.9-17.8cm. (3 1/2-7")

Subspecies Northwestern Pond Turtle - triangular scutes on bridge. From British Columbia to San Francisco Bay. Also Nevada.
Southerwestern pond Turtle - scutes almost absent. San Francisco Bay to Baja California.

Breeding April-August. 3-11 eggs in a clutch. Eggs 38mm (1 1/2") long with hard shells. Digs a cavity in a sunny area near water or in a field. Incubated for 12 weeks.

Habitat Ponds, lakes, streams, marshes and reservoirs with vegetation.

Range Sierra Nevada, British Columbia to Baja California. Also w. Nevada.

Discussion Bask alone. Dives into water if disturbed. If another turtle happens upon another in its basking spot it will challenge it by extending its neck and exposing yellow jaw.