The main species that we encountered during this survey were Painted Turtles and Red-Eared Sliders. Painted Turtles are the most widespread native turtle in the US, and they mainly occupy slow moving fresh water, like the water of North Pond. Red-Eared Sliders are the most common pet turtles in the US, and have also become an invasive species in many places as a result of people releasing their pets into the wild.However,  they are native to Illinois, so they naturally occur here.

 

 

        Painted Turtles and Red-Eared Sliders look very similar, but there are a few key distinctions between them. Painted Turtles have a flatter, smoother shell, while Red-Eared Sliders have a more boxy and textured shell. Red-Eared Sliders also have distinctive red marks on the side of their head (hence their name). They also have similar behavior, including basking for hours during the day and their diet; which consists of small water creatures and occasional plant matter.

        There is also a Common Snapping Turtle in North Pond, however we did not see it. Snappers tend to stick to the bottom of bodies of water, where they use their tongue that looks like a worm to attract fish to its mouth. We encountered one turtle that was not any of the three that we had expected to find. So far, we have not identified the species of this “Other” turtle.