Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassTestudines
- FamilyEmydidae (Pond and Box Turtles)
- GenusTrachemys (Sliders)
- SpeciesTrachemys scripta (Pond Slider)
About the Pond Slider
The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described, the most recognizable of which is the red-eared slider (T. s. elegans), which is popular in the pet trade and has been introduced to other parts of the world by people releasing it to the wild. Hatchling and juvenile pond sliders have a green upper shell (carapace), yellow bottom shell (plastron), and green and yellow stripes and markings on their skin. These patterns and colors in the skin and shell fade with age until the carapace is a muted olive green to brown and the plastron is a dull yellow or darker. Some sliders become almost black with few visible markings.
The carapace is oval with a bit of rounding and a central crest with knobs, but these features soften and fade with age, adults being smoother and flatter. For determining an adult slider's sex, males typically have much longer front claws than adult females, while females usually have shorter, more slender tails than males. Their lifespans range from 20 to 50 years.
The origin of the name slider stems from the behavior of these turtles when startled. Groups of sliders, sometimes... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Baja California Slider
Trachemys nebulosa
Western Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata
River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
Ouachita Map Turtle
Graptemys ouachitensis
False Map Turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica
Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
Florida Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys nelsoni
Three-toed Box Turtle
Terrapene triunguis
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Pond Slider in Saguaro National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pond Slider sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 834 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Pond Slider in Saguaro National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Pond Slider in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.