Painted Turtle

Description

The painted turtle (*Chrysemys picta*) Accession Number: 47.97 This reptile is very popular in the wild and as a pet across North America, and is known for its red, almost decorative coloring on both its shell and skin. It prefers to live in ponds, marshes, and creeks. and can live up to 50 years in the wild. As they are cold-blooded, before they hunt for prey, they find a proper warm rock to bask on for several hours and prefer to hunt in the late mornings and evenings. Courtship is quite subtle and elegant, with the male gently rubbing the female's neck with his foreclaws and the female responding by rubbing his foreclaws back before sinking to the bottom of the pond to mate. Captured with an Artec Spider 3D Scanner https://www.artec3d.com/portable-3d-scanners/artec-spider-v2