Fun Pacific Pond Turtle Facts For Kids

The Pacific pond turtle, Actinemys marmorata as it is scientifically known, belongs to the Emydidae family. It is also referred to as a western pond turtle.

The western pond turtle is endemic to the western part of the west coast of the United States and Mexico and its range includes Baja California, Mexico, and Washington.

The adults of this species prefer deep and slow-moving waters while the hatchlings or the young ones prefer shallow and warmer water. These turtles are both aquatic and terrestrial and move to terrestrial habitats for wintering and giving birth.

The nest of these western pond turtles is burrows lined with soil and leaves and the area or the habitat for the nest is dry and flat with some vegetation around to protect from predators.

The mating takes place around May to August and females are known to lay eggs every alternate year. Some also have divided this turtle into two species, the southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) and Northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata).

The western pond turtle is known to live for about or more than 50 years of age. The adult pond turtles look different than the young ones or the hatchlings.

The newborns are lighter and grow darker with age.

The females do not have pointed snouts like the males and have a thin tail base, unlike the males who have thick ones. They are dark brown in color.

The food of these western pond turtles includes crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, dragonflies, beetles, and plant foods including algae, lily pads, ditch grass.

The western pond turtles are known to be an endangered species and their current status is vulnerable and the threats include habitat destruction, flooding, fire. It is quite fascinating to know about the western pond turtles and if you are interested, read about snapping turtle facts and Olive Ridley sea turtle facts too.

Pacific Pond Turtle Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Pacific pond turtle?

This is a turtle.

What class of animal does a Pacific pond turtle belong to?

It belongs to the class Reptilia.

How many Pacific pond turtles are there in the world?

There is no specific count of these turtles estimated or recorded.

Where does a Pacific pond turtle live?

These turtles are native to Baja California, Mexico, and Washington and are known to be the only freshwater turtle native to California.

What is a Pacific pond turtle's habitat?

These turtles are known to inhabit aquatic and terrestrial habitats. These turtles can be found in marshes, ponds, lakes, streams, wetlands, ephemeral creeks, reservoirs, and brackish waters.

The preferred habitats for these turtles are areas that provide cover or protection from predators that include areas with vegetation and algae. They also prefer habitats that are appropriate for basking for heat regulation.

Adult prefers slow-moving and deep waters and the hatchlings or the young ones prefer shallow and warmer waters. Terrestrial types of habitat are used for wintering, they stay in burrows made with leaves and soil.

Who does the Pacific pond turtle live with?

These turtles are known to live alone.

How long does a Pacific pond turtle live?

These turtles are known to live more than 50 years of age in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

Mating for this species takes place from May to August. Courting takes place by males scratching the anterior edge of the females by their forelimbs and if the females are receptive, they will raise their posterior end, and then the mating happens. Females are known to lay eggs in alternate years.

Nests are made in flat and dry areas with vegetation. The incubation period lasts for about three months. The instances for parental care have not been recorded or observed.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these species is Vulnerable according to the IUCN.

Pacific Pond Turtle Fun Facts

What does the Pacific pond turtle look like?

Pacific pond turtles are known to be yellowish with some dark patches in the center part of the plastron or on the centers of the scutes. The full body has a marbled pattern and the dorsal part of the body is olive to dark brown in color.

The shell of this turtle is lower and known to be smooth and broad. There are certain differences between an adult male and a female.

The adult female does not have a pointed snout and it is rather blunt. The tail base is thin and there are dark spots or markings on the chin and throat of the female.

The males, on the other hand, have a pointed snout, thick tail base, and a broad neck with white and yellow color or markings on the throat and chin. A male is known to have a larger head than a female.

These turtles have webbed feet. The hatchlings are known to be born lighter and grow darker, they have a long tail and have a softshell.

How cute are they?

The Pacific pond turtles are considered very cute by some people.

How do they communicate?

Not much information is available about the communication of the western pond turtle but they are known to communicate by using their sense of smell, touch, and sight.

How big is a Pacific pond turtle?

These are considered to be a large species and their length can range from 4.5-8.5 in (11-21 cm). These species are known to be quite a lot smaller than the Asian pond turtle.

How fast can a Pacific pond turtle move?

The exact speed of these Pacific pond turtles or the western pond turtle is unknown but is not very fast movers.

How much does a Pacific pond turtle weigh?

The weight of these Pacific pond turtles can range from 1-2.4 lb (0.45-1.08 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for a male and female of the species.

What would you call a baby Pacific pond turtle?

A baby Pacific pond turtle is called a hatchling.

What do they eat?

The Pacific pond turtle, or the western pond turtle, is an omnivore and preys on aquatic invertebrates, midges, fish, dragonflies, beetles, grasshoppers, and crustaceans. It is also known to feed on carrion too. The diet of these turtles also includes tule grass, willow, ditch grass, algae, and lily pads.

Are they poisonous?

These Pacific pond turtles or the western pond turtles are not considered to be poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

This species of turtle, the western pond turtle, is considered to be an endangered species and one of the reasons for this is the pet trade. Taking or procuring these turtles from the wild is illegal in some states.

A western pond turtle should be obtained from a captive breeder or animal sanctuary. Apart from that, the western pond turtle is not aggressive and territorial and Pacific pond turtle care is manageable if provided enough or appropriate space for swimming.

Did you know...

This turtle is also known as the western pond turtle.

These western pond turtles are known to open their mouths to display their yellowish, pinkish lining to scare the predators off and occasionally bite when they get aggressive.

It is known to be initially found in Canada and in May 2002, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed this western pond turtle to be locally extinct or an endangered species.

Birds, fish, and the newly-introduced American bullfrog, are known to be predators of this western pond turtle.  

The western pond turtle or the pacific pond turtle found in the range of the west coast of the United States and is plain or dull-looking than the western painted turtle.

The western pond turtles are the only native freshwater turtle to California and are listed or considered as a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish.

The Pacific pond turtle rescue is conducted by several wildlife care organizations.

Current threats to these western pond turtles include drought, fire, flooding, and lack of genetic variation and this lack of genetic variation is due to the isolation of these pond turtles over large ranges. Some human pose threats include chemical spills, off-roading of vehicles, and incidental catches, habitat destruction.

Are they slimy?

The shell of these Pacific pond turtles or the western pond turtles can become sticky or oily sometimes.

How far from a pond will a pond turtle travel?

Pond turtles are known to travel very long distances which can be as far as 500 yards to deposit or give birth to their offspring.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from our painted turtle facts and bog turtle facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable pacific pond turtle coloring pages.

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