Painted Turtles (Jaqueline & Pierre)

Jacqueline and Pierre have been living at Sarett Nature Center for over 10 years! We used to think Jacqueline (previously known as Jacques) was a male, but she laid eggs in the Summer of 2024 confirming that she is a female. They were both surrendered pets – donated from someone who could no longer take care of them. They may have not realized how long turtles can live and how much they can eat!

The Painted Turtle is Michigan’s most common turtle and is, in fact, our state reptile! They are small to medium sized dark turtles with bright red and yellow stripes on their extremities and around the edge of their carapace (top shell). Their plastron, or bottom shell, is a shade of yellow or orange, occasionally with a dark blotch in the middle. Males are smaller and have longer front claws than females. Adults range from 4 to 7 inches long.

Painted Turtles live in a variety of habitats like ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow moving streams and rivers. They prefer shallow water with a muddy bottom and plentiful vegetation. Many are killed when attempting to cross roads to find more suitable habitat, to find a mate, or to find a good place to lay their eggs. Painted Turtles are fairly tolerant to organic pollution and can even survive in urban areas. They feed in water and eat a variety of things including aquatic plants, insects, snails, crayfish, tadpoles, small fish and carrion.

During courtship, males swim backwards in front of females that they intend to make their mate and “tickle” her on the chin and neck  with their long claws. Most mating occurs in the spring. Females lay eggs from late May into July looking for damp sunny and sandy sites near water. They will lay 4 to 20 eggs in one clutch. The eggs are elliptical and soft-shelled. Incubation takes about 70 to 80 days, but hatchlings from late nests will often stay underground through winter and emerge in the spring. To survive the winter, hatchlings produce a natural antifreeze within their bodies.