- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold eastern painted turtle, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the eastern painted turtle
The painted turtle is North America's most widespread native turtle, living in slow-moving fresh water from southern Canada to northern Mexico. The eastern painted turtle is the subspecies found along the Atlantic coast, and its top-shell segments line up in straight rows. Adults measure 13-25 cm, with a dark, smooth shell and olive to black skin marked with red, orange or yellow stripes. The turtle eats aquatic plants, algae and small creatures including insects, crustaceans and fish, and basks for hours on logs or rocks. In winter it spends the cold months in the mud at the bottom of water bodies.
Eastern Painted Turtle facts
- An antifreeze-like substance in its blood helps it tolerate freezing temperatures for long periods.
- Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.
- Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and Vermont have named the painted turtle their official reptile.
- In Algonquian tales the colourful turtle played the part of a trickster.
Where to see eastern painted turtle in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 2 zoos holding eastern painted turtle by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
1 more zoo holds eastern painted turtle but has no coordinates on file yet, so it isn't ranked here. It's in the full list below.
Delaware· 1
Illinois· 1
Maryland· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
