Just curious what kind it is... is it a Red eared slider? It was much bigger than I thought they got!
Moved off the road
- Thread starter escurnow
- Start date
No pic for me either
Btw, RES get huge
I guess i didn't give it time to upload before I hit post, sorry! Here are the pics, firmly attached! 
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Okay last two pics... just curious of what it was. Thanks for letting me know they get big! I had no idea... This one had clearly had some hard knocks, but seemed ready to get on with his life after I got him across the road.
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Without seeing any head and neck markings or carapace markings it's hard to tell. Does not look like a red ear though. Probably a cooter from the general shape Possible a red bellied slider but the carapace does not appear domed enough for that. Pretty sure cooter of some type. Where was it? That will help
Hey Escurnow,
Did you find that turtle in South Texas? I'm betting that's a Texas River Cooter, either a Rio Grande type or the Guadalupe variety, but given the orange coloration, I'm betting Rio Grande. Those Texas cooters get very big, and that one has some years on it. Definitely not a red ear. The lines on the lower mandible are far too gracile for that, which tend to be more robust on most sliders, paints and maps. Also, you can make out some serration on the lower mandible, something that is generally found in cooters to help with their mostly herbivorous diet (sliders tend to be more generalists with their dietary preferences; part of what has ensured their success as an invasive species). Strange find this time of year, but here in South Texas, we've been having some warm days (I would use the word unusual, but hey, it's South Texas; it could be December and seventy eight out, given that our default weather here seems to be "warm"). But yeah, best to get that beastie to a nearby pond or creek. Ones that old from out in the country don't tend to make the best captives unless you've got a large, well planted pond with lots of privacy.
T.G.
Did you find that turtle in South Texas? I'm betting that's a Texas River Cooter, either a Rio Grande type or the Guadalupe variety, but given the orange coloration, I'm betting Rio Grande. Those Texas cooters get very big, and that one has some years on it. Definitely not a red ear. The lines on the lower mandible are far too gracile for that, which tend to be more robust on most sliders, paints and maps. Also, you can make out some serration on the lower mandible, something that is generally found in cooters to help with their mostly herbivorous diet (sliders tend to be more generalists with their dietary preferences; part of what has ensured their success as an invasive species). Strange find this time of year, but here in South Texas, we've been having some warm days (I would use the word unusual, but hey, it's South Texas; it could be December and seventy eight out, given that our default weather here seems to be "warm"). But yeah, best to get that beastie to a nearby pond or creek. Ones that old from out in the country don't tend to make the best captives unless you've got a large, well planted pond with lots of privacy.
T.G.
I'll bet it's one of the painted turtle species.
Yep I agree with Yvonne it is a big old painter.
definitely not a painted. serrated rear margins Has to be a type of cooter.
I don't know what he is but he sure is pretty!
Exactly - a type of cooter. SInce we can't see the carapace patterns can't be sure which. We are also assuming this is Texas. So.. Red Bellied Cooter, or River Cooter, or Rio Grande Cooter, or Texas River Cooter. I'm with @tglazie - with the orange, best guess Rio Grande Cooter. Still a chance for Red bellied though.
You guys are amazing sleuths! I AM in south Texas, about 1/2 an hour south of San Antonio. He/she was easily about as big as a typical sized laptop. He was shy, so wouldn't give me the opportunity to take a close up of his head and neck. ;-) I can tell you before I snagged him out of traffic he put his neck out and I was literally shocked at how long his neck was! Anyway.... I got him off the road and sent him on his way, but I just hadn't seen one like that before so was curious. Thanks for all the input!
It is a SHE! Can tell that for sure.
KaijuEmily
New Member
So beautiful! So cool of you to stop and help get her away from danger from cars!
Berkeley
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It is definitely a slider. I'm betting on red ear.
And Mark is right, it is female too.
--Berkeley
And Mark is right, it is female too.
--Berkeley
Sorry Berkeley. It's a cooter. No way a slider! Too much of a shoulder hump. Would be a record breaking huge slider yet a normal size cooter female Reticulated pattern on under edge of carapace not round blotches. Stripe pattern on forelimbs with slightly branched thicker stripe present. Orange stripes on forelimbs. 95% sure Rio Grand Cooter. Outside chance red bellied.
Berkeley
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Mark-
we may have to agree to disagree on this one!
Those are exactly the reasons why I have to disagree and say that it is a slider. The cooters have the round blotches/ocelli under the marginals. Slider patterns break up and become reticulated like that shown in the pics above. Redears have that same thicker yellow stripe on the forelegs. The orange coloration is because of the extreme mineral staining that has also happened all over the rest of the shell and body. But the striping of the facial pattern is completely different, and there is no serration of the lower jaw evident. Also the serrations on the rear marginal scutes are still pronounced, whereas in an adult cooter they would be more smoothed out and contiguous.
Here are a couple of pictures that I stole off the internet, illustrating some of what I mean. These are all images of Pseudemys gorzugi, the Rio Grande cooter. (Credit, and my apologies, goes to the photographers)
Note the smoothness and rounded-ness of the rear marginals, and these animals are quite fully sized.
And the rounded ocelli on the marginals here
Facial striping and eye color are all different. And yes the mouth is slightly open in this photo, but the serration of the lower jaw would still be able to be seen when the mouth is closed.
--Berkeley
we may have to agree to disagree on this one!
Those are exactly the reasons why I have to disagree and say that it is a slider. The cooters have the round blotches/ocelli under the marginals. Slider patterns break up and become reticulated like that shown in the pics above. Redears have that same thicker yellow stripe on the forelegs. The orange coloration is because of the extreme mineral staining that has also happened all over the rest of the shell and body. But the striping of the facial pattern is completely different, and there is no serration of the lower jaw evident. Also the serrations on the rear marginal scutes are still pronounced, whereas in an adult cooter they would be more smoothed out and contiguous.
Here are a couple of pictures that I stole off the internet, illustrating some of what I mean. These are all images of Pseudemys gorzugi, the Rio Grande cooter. (Credit, and my apologies, goes to the photographers)
Note the smoothness and rounded-ness of the rear marginals, and these animals are quite fully sized.
And the rounded ocelli on the marginals here
Facial striping and eye color are all different. And yes the mouth is slightly open in this photo, but the serration of the lower jaw would still be able to be seen when the mouth is closed.
--Berkeley
