While visiting Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Missouri last month, I observed several of these fine reptiles basking. This species was officially recognized as a separate species from other Painted Turtles in 2014.
The Southern Painted Turtle is a small, colorful aquatic turtle with an olive brown to almost black shell, featuring a prominent yellow, orange, or red lengthwise stripe down its center. The adult upper shell length is 4–5 inches, occasionally reaching 6 inches.
This reptile is often found in the quiet water of shallow swamps, slow-moving streams, sloughs, oxbow lakes, and occasionally drainage ditches with aquatic vegetation and soft bottoms. Its preferred habitat is wetlands embedded within bottomland forest dominated by Water Tupelo, Bald Cypress, and Oak.
The Southern Painted Turtle’s diet consists mainly of aquatic insects, snails, crayfish, and plant material, with duckweed and algae also readily consumed. Younger individuals consume more animal matter in their compared to adults.
Their range is the midwestern and southeastern parts of the United States, stretching from Texas to Florida and up to southern Illinois. Finding these completed my quest to find all four types of Painted Turtles (Eastern, Midland, Western and Southern) in the wild.