Discover Florida Nature
It's time to explore the natural Florida
 Florida
Sliders Cooters & Soft Shelled Turtles |
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 Red-Eared
Turtle- The colorful Red-Eared turtle was originally found from
Mississippi westward, but it is now breeding abundantly in the
Miami-Dade area and several other localities in Florida. it can be
recognized by the bright red patches on each side of its head, hence the
name Red-eared. The Red-eared has traditionally been the most popular
turtle sold as a pet. When owners tire of them, they often release them
into lakes and rivers, which may account for the expanding range for
this turtle. The red-eared turtle reaches a length of 11-12 inches. Florida
Soft-Shell Turtle- The Florida soft-shelled turtle is a bizarre
looking turtle with an exceptionally long neck. Florida softshell
turtles are found in marshes, lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers with
sandy or muddy bottoms throughout the state. Its shell is brightly
colored in juveniles but becomes dark and drab as the turtle ages. The
Florida soft shelled turtle reaches a maximum length of 20 inches.
Unlike the hard shelled turtles, this turtle does not periodically shed
thin outer layers of it's shell. The shell is soft, leathery, and
pliable. Soft shelled turtles have soft lips which cover very strong
jaws. This tutle burrows into the bottom sand waiting for prey, such as
frogs, fish, and crustaceans. This turtle is a powerful swimmer and can
also run on land with speed and agility. In the water the Florida
softshell turtle is known to pursue and catch fish. Suwannee
Cooter -The Suwannee Cooter is found in drainage areas of
rivers that feed into the Gulf of Mexico from Hillsborough to Gulf
County in Florida. The Suwannee Cooter adapts readily to changes in
water salinity. The cooters shell has yellow markings that appear to be
spirals at a short distance. The Suwannee Cooter also has yellow stripes
on its head and front feet. This turtle reaches a maximum length of 16
inches. Often basking above the water on logs or snags, the Suwannee
Cooter has traditionally been collected for food, which has greatly
reduced its numbers. The Suwannee Cooter leaves its water habitat only
to nest during the summer.  Peninsula
Cooter- The Peninsula Cooter is found in lakes and slow-moving
streams throughout the state of Florida. It is one of the most commonly
seen turtles, often basking on banks and logs, or wandering across roads
as it moves from one body of water to another. The Peninsula Cooter will
quickly drop into the water when approached. The Peninsula Cooter's
shell is usually uniformly dark with a pattern of parallel yellow lines
radiating to the sides. This turtle has yellow markings, some shaped
like a hairpin, on its head and neck, and grows to a length of 15
inches. One of the most fascinating courtships rituals of cooters is
the male's habit of swimming backward in front of the female while
stroking or tapping her face with the long nails on his front feet! Spiny
Softshell Turtle- The Spiny Softshell Turtle gets its name from
the small spines on the edge of its shell, directly behind its neck.
This turtle is is found west of the Appalachicola and St. Mary's Rivers
in Florida. Softshell turtles are also called pancake turtles because of
their flat round shape. Their shells are soft enough to be a bit
flexible at the edges and are covered with a leathery skin. Sometimes
the shell is so soft that the shape of the underlying bone structure is
partially visible. Softshell turtles are highly aquatic, swift in the
water, and although they do bask on the shore, they usually stay close
enough to the water to make a fast underwater escape if danger
threatens. Yellow
Bellied Slider Turtle- The yellow bellied slider is a very
attractive turtle that was originally native to North Florida, but is
now often found in the southern part of the peninsula, where its numbers
seem to be increasing. It's rough carapace, or upper shell is marked
with prominent yellow bars on each side, and has a yellow patch behind
each eye. This sliders belly is usually bright yellow and always has
black blotches on the first pair of scales. The slider grows to a size
of about 11 inches. |
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