Chrysemys picta

It’s True!

• Painted turtles love to bask in the sun. As many as 50 have been seen basking on one log, stacked atop each other.
• Temperature determines a turtle’s sex: warmer temps produce female hatchlings, whereas cooler temps produce males.
• Painted turtles are very cold tolerant, swimming beneath the ice. Even inch-long hatchlings can survive being frozen.
• Sunlight maintains body temperature, eliminates skin parasites, and is essential for the synthesis of vitamin D3.