Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta)
Photo Courtesy of World Chelonia Trust
The Painted Turtle is 4 - 10 inches in length. The carapace is olive or black with each scute bordered with yellow, red or olive coloration. The marginal scutes have red rectangular sports. The plastron is yellow, orange or red. The legs, neck and tail have red and yellow stripes.
This species nests from May to July and will produce 1 - 2 clutches of eggs each year. Each clutch contains 2 - 20 oblong eggs and are laid in a 4 inch deep nest. Young will emerge in 10 - 11 weeks and may over-winter in the nest.
Painted Turtles like slow moving streams, rivers and lakes with soft mud bottoms and plenty of aquatic vegetation. Often times you can find dozen of these turtles basking on the same log. As young they tend to be carnivorous and become more herbivorous as they age.
Please click here for care information on Painted Turtles.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant