Chrysemys Picta (painted turtle)

The painted turtle is a very common turtle in Canada, living in ponds, lakes, marshes and along shallow rivers.

We found a teeny little specimen today, about the size of a quarter

We've taken it home to observe it for a day or so and will then release it into a pond.  (Turtles can be carriers of salmonella.)

The turtle is a carnivore when young and an omnivore when mature.  The boys are diligently walking around with a fly swatter to provide baby turtle with some fresh meat.

The turtle itself is food for raccoons, skunks, opossums, birds, snakes, foxes and others.

Mama turtle lays 5 to 15 eggs in a clutch, buried in a shallow pit and covered with dirt.  Then mama makes herself scarce and lets her offspring fend for themselves.  The eggs hatch in 10  - 11 weeks.

The turtle clan likes to spend most of its time in the water.  Sometimes they  sun themselves on logs or rocks.  

The mature turtle has a shell from 4 to 7 inches, the females being slightly larger than the males.  A turtle could live up to 30 years but very few do, when in the wild the life expectancy is 5 - 10 years.