Western Painted Turtle of Colorado

I always love trying something new. This turtle was painted because somebody expressed interest in turtle paintings, and I thought it would be an... more

by Beverley Harper Tinsley

Original - Sold

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

6.000 x 6.000 inches

Title

Western Painted Turtle of Colorado

Artist

Beverley Harper Tinsley

Medium

Painting - Watercolor And Graphite

Description

I always love trying something new. This turtle was painted because somebody expressed interest in turtle paintings, and I thought it would be an exciting challenge. Since we both live in Colorado, I chose a turtle that makes its home here, as well, although it is a wide ranging species, and may be sen in many places by those who look carefully. I really enjoyed working with the patterns and textures of this creature.
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According to http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/REPTILES/Wester1.htm,
Western painted turtles are called painted turtles because their lower shell is brightly colored in red with yellow and olive
designs. The olive or black top shell is oval, slightly flattened and smooth. They do not have a ridge down the middle of the
top shell as young snapping turtles do when they are the same size. Western painted turtles are the largest of the 4 species of
painted turtles and the species with the most intricate pattern on their bottom shells. Their length ranges from about 4 to 10
inches (10 - 25 cm). Painted turtles are aquatic with webbed feet for swimming. They can also be identified by the yellow
lines of approximately equal width on their necks that continue on to the head.
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Painted turtles spend most of their time in shallow streams, lakes and rivers. They can also be found in prairie sloughs, cattle
tanks, and farm ponds. Water that is slow-moving with a soft, muddy bottom with vegetation and submerged logs is ideal
habitat for painted turtles. Painted turtles can occasionally be found attempting to cross highways in the summer. Why would
an aquatic turtle be on a highway? These are usually females attempting to travel to nesting sites to lay their eggs. It is best
not to transport or keep them, but simply to let them be or help them cross the roadway.
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Painted turtles are mainly carnivorous , but as they mature they eat more vegetation. They forage for insects, crayfish, small
mollusks , worms, minnows, and aquatic plants. They are also scavengers that eat carrion and clean up much of the organic
garbage of ponds, thus keeping the water fresh. Turtles do not have teeth and simply swallow their food whole or tear it with
their beak or claws.
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Like all reptiles, turtles are cold-blooded and cannot control the temperature of their bodies. Painted turtles are basking
turtles, which means they spend as much time as they can in the sun to warm themselves after a long swim or a chilly night.
They bask on a log or rock with their necks and legs stretched out and their toes spread wide apart to catch as much of the
sun's warmth as possible. Basking also allows their body to produce vitamins and helps to kill fungi. Sometimes, if good
sunning space is scarce, one turtle sprawls on top of a larger one's shell. Basking turtles are largely diurnal . Among the
adaptations turtles have for living in water is the ability to slow down their heartbeat when they are underwater so that their
body needs less oxygen.
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The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle family Emydidae. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. Four regionally based subspecies (the eastern, midland, southern, and western) evolved during the last ice age.
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The adult painted turtle female is 10�25 cm (4�10 in) long; the male is smaller. The turtle's top shell is smooth and oval without a keel (ridge). Its skin is olive to black with red, orange, or yellow stripes on its extremities. The subspecies can be distinguished by their shells: the eastern has straight-aligned top shell segments; the midland has a large gray mark on the bottom shell; the southern has a red line on the top shell; the western has a red pattern on the bottom shell.
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The turtle eats aquatic vegetation, algae, and small water creatures including insects, crustaceans, and fish. Although they are frequently consumed as eggs or hatchlings by rodents, canines, and snakes, the adult turtles' hard shells protect them from most predators. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks. During winter, the turtle hibernates, usually in the muddy bottoms of waterways. The turtles mate in spring and autumn. Females dig nests on land and lay eggs between late spring and mid-summer. Hatched turtles grow until sexual maturity: 2�9 years for males, 6�16 for females.
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In the traditional tales of Algonquian tribes, the colorful turtle played the part of a trickster. In modern times, four U.S. states have named the painted turtle their official reptile. Habitat loss and road killings have reduced the turtle's population, but its ability to live in human-disturbed settings has helped it remain the most abundant turtle in North America. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.
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The largest subspecies is the western painted turtle (C. p. bellii), which grows up to 25 cm (10 in) long. Its top shell has a mesh-like pattern of light lines, and the top stripe present in other subspecies is missing or faint. Its bottom shell has a large colored splotch that spreads to the edges (further than the midland) and often has red hues.

Uploaded

February 21st, 2013