The northern red-bellied turtle (''Pseudemys rubriventris'') or American red-bellied turtle is a species of

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

in the

Pseudemys ''Pseudemys'' is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States and adjacent northeast Mexico. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from ''kuta'', the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké lang ...

(cooter) genus of the family

Emydidae Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...

Description

A fairly large river turtle, it averages about in length and weighs on average around , although large females can measure up to in length.

Distribution and habitat

It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The current range of the red-bellied turtle includes a population in Massachusetts, the Plymouth red-bellied turtle, which was previously considered a distinct subspecies (''Pseudemys rubriventris bangsi'') as well as the coastal areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Northern red-bellied cooter in Long Pond

Northern red-bellied cooter in Long Pond

The red-bellied turtle has appeared on

Pennsylvania Fish Commission Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appa ...

lists of endangered amphibians and reptiles since 1978 (McCoy 1985). By 1985 the red-bellied turtle was known to exist in Pennsylvania only in isolated colonies in a few counties (McCoy 1985). Small (less than thirty individuals) colonies were known in Manor and Silver lakes in Bucks county, the Tinicum wetlands in Philadelphia and Delaware counties, the West Branch of

Conococheague Creek Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free-flowing stream that originates in Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland. It is in length,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset h ...

in Franklin County and possibly

Springton Reservoir The Springton Reservoir (also known as Springton Lake or the Geist Reservoir) is a reservoir that is located in Delaware County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States. History and notable features Created in 1931 when Crum Cree ...

in Delaware county (McCoy 1985).

Conservation

The red-bellied turtle is a threatened species within Pennsylvania. However, it is listed as "Endangered" by the

US Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

as well as the

Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (Massachusetts) The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, sometimes referred to as MassWildlife, is an agency of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The Massachusetts Division ...

. The potential threats to red-bellied turtle populations are numerous. For example: wetland loss,

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

, pollution, collecting of turtles for pets, food or other trophies, competition with the invasive

red-eared slider turtle The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, ...

for food, habitat, basking sites or nesting sites, and the potential for hybridization with red-eared slider turtles. The Massachusetts wildlife preserve foundation has started to repopulate the turtles by placing them in many south-eastern Massachusetts ponds. One example is at Long and Little Long Pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the population is starting to regrow.

References

* Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996.
Pseudemys rubriventris

2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 29 July 2007. *http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcf/rbturt.aspx *https://web.archive.org/web/20070824020806/http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/species/display.asp?id=030057 * McCoy, C. J. 1985. Species of Special Concern in Pennsylvania, in H. H. Genoways and F. J. Brenner, editors. Special Publication of Carnegie Museum of Natural Pennsylvania. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA. * http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/pseudemys-rubriventris.pdf ;Bibliography * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1619703 Pseudemys Reptiles of North America Fauna of the Eastern United States Reptiles described in 1830 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot