Backyard Visitor

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 07/06/2020 at 11:54 • Filed to: None

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The back 8 feet or so of o ur backyard has a swale that carries water from several houses to the local detention pond. The privacy fence on both ends is high enough to allow water through. During the rainy season (most of the year), the swale stays wet most of the time. We added a wire fence to keep the dogs out of the mud.

It’s been raining all morning, so I looked outside this morning to see how deep the water was. Imagine my surprise when I saw a dark shadow moving through the water.

I moved in for a closer shot and this fellow came up to pose.

I don’t know enough about turtles to identify him without first scrubbing off some of the algae and taking a look at his underside. Oh well. Nice to meet you, turtle. It’s probably a good idea to head back to the pond before the dogs have to do their afternoon business.

Tripper > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 12:01

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That’s got the under chin markings of a “Red Eared Slider” although I can’t see what would be the red parts and there are lots of other “Sliders” in the turtle world. “Red Eared Sliders” are one of the most common aquatic turtles to be kept as pets (they are awful pets).

WHADDUP TURT!

PartyPooper2012 > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 12:04

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PowderHound > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 12:09

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I think he’s a box turtle of some sort.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 12:10

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Whatever type he is, he looks properly grumpy for a rainy Monday morning.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 12:21

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Here’s my backyard visitor. I filmed it just this morning, I swear

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 07/06/2020 at 12:48

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They ALWAYS get to play through...

TheRealBicycleBuck > Tripper 07/06/2020 at 13:07

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No red ears that I could see. The Southern Painted Turtle and the River Cooter both have  the yellow markings, so without a closer look, I can’t tell the difference.

TheRealBicycleBuck > PowderHound 07/06/2020 at 13:07

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Box turtles are land only. I’m not even sure if they can swim.

Tripper > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/06/2020 at 13:15

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Yeah, most aquatic turtles look super similar so tough to tell indeed. 

user314 > ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy 07/06/2020 at 13:48

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