The Yellow Bellied Slider is a species of Turtle that is native to parts of the South-Eastern United States.
This turtle is actually a sub-species of pond turtle along with the Red Eared Slider and the Cumberland Slider.
They are a semi-aquatic turtle that will spend time in water and on land, but they are more ‘at home’ when they are in the water.
They are a medium sized species of turtle that typically grows anywhere between 15-30cm in length with females typically being larger than males.
Yellow Bellied Slider Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The family that the Yellow Bellied Slider belongs to is called Emydidae. This is a family that contains 10 different genera and almost 50 different species of turtle.
Some of the Asian Box Turtles were once classified as part of this family but have since been reclassified.
Genus
The genus that the Yellow Bellied Slider belongs to is called Trachemys. The species in this genus are often referred to as sliders.
They can be found throughout much of the Americas, ranging from the Midwestern United States and extending right down to Argentina in South America.
Some of the other species in this genus include the Ornate Slider and the Peurto Rican Slider.
Species
The scientific name for the Yellow Bellied Slider is Trachemys scripta scripta. It is the nominate species of Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta).
The Yellow Bellied Slider was first described in 1792 by a Swedish naturalist named Carl Peter Thunberg and a German zoologist named Johann David Schoepff.
The other sub-species, the Red Eared Slider has the scientific name Trachemys scripta elegans while the Cumberland Slider is Trachemys scripta troostii.
Yellow Bellied Slider Description
The Yellow Bellied Slider is a medium sized species of turtle that typically grows to between 15-30cm in length. Females are usually larger than males.
The carapace or upper shell of the turtle is usually different shades of brown and black with yellow stripes or markings.
The shell tends to get darker as the turtle ages, resulting in a blander appearance as opposed to the vibrant coloration of a juvenile’s shell.
They have olive green to greyish-brown colored skin. This is overlaid with yellow stripes and markings.
The Plastron or lower shell is yellow in color which is where these turtles get their common name, the Yellow Bellied Slider.
They have a number of green spots running along the edge of the Plastron which is a distinguishing feature in these turtles.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Yellow Bellied Slider can be found throughout much of the South-Eastern United States.
They can be found in places such as Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
While this turtle is native to the South-Eastern United States and the Red Eared Slider is found further West, with its range extending as far as Texas, these turtles co-exist in many places.
While their natural habitats overlap in places such as Alabama, the Yellow Bellied Slider can also be found in many places throughout the United States.
This species shares some of its geographical range with many well known species including the Florida Softshell Turtle, the Brown Water Snake, the Green Anole, the Rainbow Snake, the Coachwhip Snake and the Peninsula Cooter.
Unfortunately, this species has established itself in many places after natural disasters and irresponsible pet owners released them into the wild.
This species can be found in places such as Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. It can even be found in parts of California.
The Yellow Bellied Slider has also been introduced to many parts of Europe including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Cyprus.
These turtles like to live in a wide range of freshwater habitats including ponds, rivers, lakes, streams, oxbow lakes and swamps.
Behaviour
The Yellow Bellied Slider is considered to be a semi-aquatic species of turtle although it does spend most of its time in the water.
During a normal day, it will often leave the water to bask in the sun for a while. It will usually stay close to its water source where it can retreat to if it feels threatened.
It will also leave the water during the colder months to retreat to a hibernation site. These turtles also have their nesting sites on land.
The only other time these turtles leave the water is if their habitat becomes unsuitable or unsustainable. In this case they will leave in search of a new source of water to call home.
Yellow Bellied Slider Diet
A juvenile Yellow Bellied Slider will have a diet that primarily consists of meat based prey such as insects, dead fish, tadpoles and other meat based meals that they come across in the water.
Adult turtles also like to have a similar high protein diet but they will adapt their diet if adequate food isn’t available to them.
It this case, they will start to eat more of a vegetable-based diet, consuming things like algae, leaves, stems, fruits and seeds.
While this vegetable-based diet can sustain the turtle, it is not as nutritious for them and they will often have a slower growth rate than turtles on a better diet.