02/03/2021
Trachemys scripta scripta commonly known as the yellow-bellied slider is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.
This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia and is the most common turtle species in its range.
It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds.
The slider is considered a diurnal turtle; it feeds mainly in the morning and frequently basks on shore, on logs, or while floating, during the rest of the day.
At night, it sleeps on the bottom or on the surface near brush piles. Highest densities of sliders occur where algae blooms and aquatic macrophytes are abundant and are of the type that form dense mats at the surface, such as Myriophyllum spicatum and lily pads.
Dense surface vegetation provides cover from predators and supports high densities of aquatic invertebrates and small vertebrates, which offer better foraging than open water.
The lifespan of yellow-bellied sliders is over 30 years in the wild and over 40 years in captivity.
