Pseudemys concinna                                            Photo Anthony Lau ©

River cooters grow to 16 inches or more in length. They have a dark carapace marked with narrow yellow lines and the yellow lines on the mid-dorsal scales often appear as concentric circles or backward-facing C’s. The underside of the carapace rim is marked with black spots, which often contain a yellow center. There are pale yellow stripes on the side and top of the head.

These turtles are found in rivers and large streams along the Gulf coast of Florida where they are often seen basking on logs and mats of floating vegetation. This is an extremely wary species and these turtles will slip into the water at the slightest sign of humans or boats.

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