Painted turtle: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the painted turtle lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Chrysemys picta
Group	Turtles & tortoises
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	North America
Class	Reptile
Order	Testudines
Family	Emydidae

Where does the painted turtle live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the painted turtle in 2 countries and territories across North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the painted turtle endangered?

The painted turtle’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the painted turtle?

The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is a reptile in the order Testudines and the family Emydidae, genus Chrysemys. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the painted turtle

The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is North America's most widespread native turtle, with a rich evolutionary history that stretches back 15 million years. As resilient survivors belonging to the pond turtle family Emydidae, these turtles adapted creatively to the planet's changing climate. During the last Ice Age, they split into distinct groups and evolved into three regionally unique subspecies: the Eastern painted turtle (found along the Atlantic coast), the Midland painted turtle (living around the Great Lakes), and the Western painted turtle (the largest group, spanning the west coast and Canada). Scientists still debate whether a fourth group, the Southern painted turtle, is its own separate species or another subspecies. Because they are highly adaptable and widely distributed across fresh waters from Canada to Mexico, their conservation status is listed as Least Concern, meaning they are currently thriving in the wild.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Painted turtle (revision 1378549581), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q199203 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).