Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta)
“Spinner”
Quick Facts:
Common Name: Painted Turtle
Scientific Name: Chrysemys picta
Native Range: North America
Habitat: Shallow ponds, lakes, and marshes
Diet: Omnivorous—insects, plants, and carrion
Conservation Status: Stable; most widespread North American turtle
Meet Our Resident
Vibrantly patterned with yellow and red stripes, Burpee’s Painted Turtle gleams like living artwork. It is active, personable, and one of the easiest turtles for visitors to recognize.
Connections to the Museum
The Painted Turtle connects directly to Burpee’s local ecology exhibits. Its resilience demonstrates how some native species adapt successfully even as others struggle.
Natural History & Behavior
These basking turtles thrive in calm, sunlit waters and often pile on logs in social clusters. They overwinter under ice, surviving low oxygen through metabolic adaptation.
Evolutionary Connections
Part of the Emydidae family, Painted Turtles share ancestry with Miocene pond turtles found in Illinois’ fossil record. Their lineage showcases long-term stability in temperate freshwater ecosystems.
Wild Habitat & Distribution
Found throughout North America, including nearly all of Illinois.
Conservation & Status
Stable and widespread. Burpee’s individuals represent successful coexistence of wildlife and human landscapes, highlighting the value of everyday biodiversity.
SNAKES:
Ball Python
Western Hognose Snake
Blood Python
TURTLES:
Sulcata Tortoise
Spotted Turtle
River Cooter
LIZARDS:
Argentine Tegu
Plated Lizard
Bearded Dragon
ARTHROPODS:
Desert Millipede
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
