April 23, 1999

     Painted Turtles Sunning

Painted turtles are usually first out of hibernation and up sunning on logs at the time ice leaves ponds or lakes.  The painted turtle, commonly called a mud turtle, is a small turtle with an upper shell about 6 inches long with bright yellow and red markings on its underside.  Painted turtles are most prevalent among the eight turtle species living in Minnesota.  Ponds and lakes in which aquatic vegetation is abundant are their habitat.  Their diet consists of about two-thirds water plants and one-third animal food, including dead fish, dead clams, worms and aquatic insects.

Although it is not easy to approach the painted turtle closely, it is probably the least wary of all Minnesota turtles.  Its habit of sunning on floating logs or any object projecting just above water level makes it easy to see.  Painted turtles bask in the sunlight with outstretched necks, legs and tail in order to raise their body temperature, enabling their food to digest.  Turtles also receive ultaviolet light for the manufacture of vitamin A, but there is no certain evidence that sunning removes their parasites.