Pretty Eastern Painted Turtle

[jamesp]

Probably out on egg duty.She is big for her type on my place.Her color retention is nice.

[keystonecops]

Kewl, I always enjoy yer posts James. Ya never know whats gonna pop up. Later Clyde

[jamesp]

No tellin what i am getting into LOL Good thing this site is sensored. Thanks for noticing

[Sabre52]

Man, those are a pretty turtle species! We don't have any painted turtles here on the ranch.....Mel

[jamesp]

I just googled Western Painted.It is astonishing.It surprises me paints are not everywhere.They are certainly most common aquatic turtle aroud middle Georgia.Lives up to 25 years and 10 inches long.This was as big as i find them-7 inches long.
Wonder if Texas is eastern or western-likely both!

[texaswoodie]

Texas is a mixture of east and west. We have the painted turtles here in East Tx. In South East Texas, one can take a picture of cactus and wild orchids in the same shot.

Curt

[grayfingers]

Wow, nice photos! We have Western Painted here, I did not know there were as many sub species as there are.

[jamesp]

In middle Georgia it is lowlands except an out of place low altitude mountain range(Pine Pountain)Curt.It has a crazy mix of coastal,peidmont and mountain biology.
I would imagine Texas is full of such mix.Texas is an amazing state.

Check out that Western Paint Bill.Must check into that Southern Paint.

Turtles grow fast and to large sizes at camp on Lake George in FL.Shells wash up regularly 14-16 inches long(sliders).Must be death from old age.About half of them have healed over gator punctures on their shells.

Turtle and gator season about coincide after egg hatch in late warm season.They use a long line to catch turtles.Soft shell and snapper.Soft shells the favorite.My neighbor(Elmer) caught so many on his lines he cut 275 pounds of meat.It is an old style cracker food.But delicacy/tourist menus keep turtle meat in high demand.

If you bring a turtle to one of the common Boston seafood resuraunts to clean/cook they will turn green and hope that you and your turtle leave ASAP.Kind of a love hate thing-

[bhiatt]

That thing is bright red. Cool looking.
Had another turtle crossin here last week. Couldnt take the ipad outside it was raining. The thing came back through the yard about 4 hours later. I guess after it laid eggs at the pond in the woods it headed back to the lake.
Took photo with my cheapy camera phone. Trying to figure out how to get picture to my email.

[Pat]

I never realized turtles came in any color other than greens. Nice! Thanks!
Grayfingers, thanks for posting yours, too.

[Deleted]

Yeah, Jim yours is the Eastern Painted Turtle. See how th scutes line up into a blocky grid? Match it to the image provided by Bill.

Here is a range map for the various painted turtle taxons.



I would not expect to see Painteds at Mel's in west/central texas.

Pat, turtles can be any color, well, except blue or purple!

Here is an albino painted turtle for your veiwing pleasure.

[grayfingers]

Nice! Being a turtle would not be so bad, depending where one lives. . .

[jamesp]

Those paints are pretty Pat,Brad.When they are young they look like plastic as their colors and shells are so clean and vivid.That particular adult is more colorful than usual.Never seen a western until looking at Bill's pics.Wow what a beauty.

Pet shops can now only sell turtles that are 4 inches and bigger-Scott?-due to kids swallowing them.

I would imagine they will stop turtle trapping one day.For now,the population where they trap seems dense and healthy.I am sure that it has a bad impact on the +100 year old ones-they may have to release them.I need to look into those Florida laws.My next door neighbor is over 10 miles up the lake shore and only i can see the (gator)poachers over that stretch.Illegal lies would be there if anywhere.I will report them if i see them.That's my poaching area:>

Wow Scott,i live toward the west line where all 3 turtles overlap.The only one i find here(by the hundreds)is the Eastern.The more i study turtles the more i find i live in the middle of a bunch of collectors varieties.I'm telling you,my aquatic plant competitor went to prison catching protected turtles.I guided him and a bunch others down the Flint by Pine Mt.He was catching the whole way.When i visit him(near Birmingham)we hunt giant Horsetail fossils.He is crazy like you.

I built my own turtle trap.My wife sells em to some of our customers.I buy all high tech swamp stuff from Memphis Net and Twine on the Mississipi River.This place is a hoot:
www.memphisnet.net/?gclid=CMXErY2q2rcCFeHm7AodfU0AjA

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2013 15:07:28 GMT -5 jamesp said:

Pet shops can now only sell turtles that are 4 inches and bigger-Scott?-due to kids swallowing them.

In the 60-70's the rajin' cajins figured out how to mass produce baby turtles. Literally millions sold in five & dime stores for $0.50 they sold a little plastic bowl with a palm tree for decor as "housing" The turtles had maybe 3 ounces of water, it got filthy they grew bacteria in the filth and salmonella being everywhere in the environment thrived.

Kida held the turtles, then being kids, put their hands in their mouths, getting turtle borne salmonellosis.

USDA regulated a ban of turtles under four inches for the stated reason "wont fit in a kids mouth" Turtle borne salmonellosis all but diappeared. This time the government got the correct results for the wrong reasons.

A four inch turtle cost $10 and sales dropped from millions a year to thoudands a year. The percentage of sick kids never changed, just the volume changed.

Now we poison Chinese kids with exports.

I would imagine they will stop turtle trapping one day.For now,the population where they trap seems dense and healthy.I am sure that it has a bad impact on the +100 year old ones-they may have to release them.I need to look into those Florida laws.My next door neighbor is over 10 miles up the lake shore and only i can see the (gator)poachers over that stretch.Illegal lies would be there if anywhere.I will report them if i see them.That's my poaching area:>

Florida law is complicated. Very complicated.

Wow Scott,i live toward the west line where all 3 turtles overlap.The more i study turtles the more i find i live in the middle of a bunch of collectors varieties.I'm telling you,my aquatic plant competitor went to prison catching protected turtles.I guided him and a bunch others down the Flint by Pine Mt.He was catching the whole way.When i visit him(near Birmingham)we hunt giant Horsetail fossils.He is crazy like you.

I ain't crazy like him. I do not and have never poached. Are you talking about Robert Guthrie?

People collect all hard shelled turtles. Soft shells too delicate so only the very expensive Asian ones are collected.

Painted Turtle = $20-30 for adults, babies $5

Map Turtle = $20 - $1000's depends on species and how many Guthrie poached that season.

Cooter = $5-20 low is baby price

The only turtle taken from the wild in any numbers is the redear sliders. But that species is an explosive breeder (100 babies a year) fast grower (reproductive in 3 years) and invasive (golf courses are the best place to trap).

[jamesp]

I can catch mega paints.Should I find your 20-30 market?

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2013 16:51:36 GMT -5 jamesp said:

I can catch mega paints.Should I find your 20-30 market?

Is it even legal to collect/own/sell a painted turtle in Georgia?

It is pure retail. That is the buyer buys a turtle in a store. The pond market may well like a supplier of paints. Wholesale is $15ea or so. They co-exist with koi well. But they eat plants, so slow growing ornamentals are an issue.

I was hoping you'd respond about Guthrie.

[jamesp]

Do know Guthrie.Is he famous?

[Deleted]

I figgered he'd be your poacher guy.

The story is correct and region is correct. Birmingham turtle poacher does time in prison is Guthrie all the way.

If memory is good here is the turtle that did him in. The ringed Sawback:

[jamesp]

I will ask by buddy Steve if he has heard of Guthrie.It was probably 15 years ago.