Northern Red-bellied Cooter

Pseudemys rubriventris

The Northern Red-bellied Cooter is a large, basking turtle of the mid-Atlantic states. Its reddish plastron and reddish markings on the shell distinguish it. A Massachusetts population is federally threatened.

Habitat

Deep, clear rivers, ponds, and lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation

Diet

Aquatic plants, algae, and occasionally invertebrates

How common

Uncommon

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