pond slider

This species is recognizable by the red to orange band located behind the eye. This mark may disappear with age in some individuals.

The shell of adults is relatively smooth unlike that of juveniles which has a slight vertebral keel. The color is brown-green. The plastron is yellow, juveniles have ring-shaped spots in green and yellow. These spots become completely green as they grow.

The body is marbled yellow and green.

Pond sliders spend most of their time basking in the sun out of the water. This omnivorous species feeds on amphibians, fish, aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, but also plants and fruits.

Males reach maturity at the age of two years and females at three years. The breeding season extends from April to June just after hibernation. A female can lay eggs one to two times during this period.

During mating, the male initiates a courtship by placing himself in front of the female, arms forward, palms outward. He then vibrates his claws by touching the head of the female. After this, the female determines if she will mate with her suitor. Copulation takes place in the water. The smaller male climbs on the back of the female. His long claws allow him to grip onto the female's back to facilitate penetration of the penis into the female's cloaca.

The eggs are deposited in a hole about fifteen centimeters deep on the banks, usually at the end of the day. The female lays between 2 and 23 eggs of about 3 cm with an average weight of 9 grams.

As with many reptiles, the incubation temperature determines the sex of the young turtle. Below 27 °C, the young are males, above 29 °C, females. The range provides a balanced male/female birth ratio.

In captivity, the reference incubation time is 60 days for a fixed temperature of 30 °C. As the temperature is variable in nature, the incubation time is generally longer than 2 months.

At birth, the young turtle is barely over 3 cm and weighs only 5 grams. The size of the young doubles in the first year, then growth slows down the following year.