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Range and Habitat: The Painted turtle is found throughout most of North America. In Minnesota the Painted turtle can be found through out the state and is one of the most common turtles.
Habits and Adaptations: Typically, Painted turtles can be found near a permanent water source such as ponds, lakes, and rivers. Overwintering occurs underwater in the mud of ponds and lakes.
Painted turtles can be found basking on logs, rocks, and shorelines using the sun to help them thermo-regulate, rid themselves of parasitic leeches, and also to help with vitamin D3 absorption (for shell). It is common to find many Painted turtles sunning together, even piled on top of each other.
Diet: Painted turtle hatchlings are carnivores and become omnivores as adults. They will eat a variety of plants, insects, crustaceans, fish, worms, and carrion. The
Painted turtle is more of an ambush predator rather and swimming or chasing
after prey. Predators of Painted turtles and their eggs are raccoons, mink, otters, and fox.
Breeding and Maturation: The Painted turtle emerges from overwintering in early April. Males mature at about 3-5years. Females mature at 6-10 years. Maturity in turtles is more dependent upon carapace size than age. The average lifespan of a Painted turtle is 25+ years. The Painted turtle courtship consists of the male coming up to the female and caressing her neck and head with his long claws. She responds with stroking his front legs. Mating occurs with internal fertilization. The female will lay eggs in late May through June. The females will dig nests with back legs and deposit up to 20 soft (typically 3-9), leathery eggs and then cover them back up with soil. The eggs take 70-80 days to develop and hatch. When eggs are laid late in season, the hatchlings will remain underground through the winter and then emerge from nest in spring. Temperature of nest determines sex of turtles and warmer temperatures also speed up incubation period. Temperatures of 84-86º F = mostly females, 76-77º F = mostly males, while temps of 82-84º F = even mix of males and females.
Miscellaneous: Painted turtles have a good sense of smell and have color vision. There are 9 species of turtles in Minnesota, two of which are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, they are the Blanding’s turtle and Wood turtle. Painted turtles are often erroneously referred to as "mud turtles" by many Minnesotans. True mud turtles do not occur in Minnesota, but are found in much of the southern US.
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