Animal Guide

Spotted Turtle

59 destinations · 27 states

Native Range: Eastern North America, from the Great Lakes and New England to Florida

The spotted turtle is small enough to fit easily in your hand, but its dark shell covered with bright yellow spots makes it one of the easier turtles to recognize. The number of spots can change as the turtle ages, and some older individuals may lose them almost completely. Watch one in an aquatic exhibit and you'll often see it moving between shallow water and basking spots, using its webbed feet to paddle through wetlands and ponds. Spotted turtles feed on small aquatic animals, insects, worms, and plants, picking through the bottom or vegetation for food. They are also surprisingly alert. A turtle resting on a log may quickly slide into the water when it notices movement nearby. Their small size and preference for quiet, shallow wetlands can make them easy to miss in the wild, where they spend much of their time among marshes, swamps, and pond edges. At a zoo or aquarium, the contrast between the dark shell and bright spots gives visitors a chance to appreciate details that are easy to overlook when the turtle is moving through natural vegetation.

Spotted Turtle

Where to see Spotted Turtle

59 destinations across 27 states

59 destinations

Abilene Zoo

Abilene, TX

ABQ BioPark Zoo

Albuquerque, NM

Akron Zoo

Akron, OH

Aquarium of Niagara

Niagara Falls, NY

Bergen County Zoo

Paramus, NJ

Binder Park Zoo

Battle Creek, MI

Bronx Zoo

Bronx, NY

Brookfield Zoo

Riverside, IL

Cape May County Park & Zoo

Cape May Court House, NJ

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

Sanford, FL

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Cleveland, OH

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Powell, OH

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

Bridgeport, CT

Denver Zoo

Denver, CO

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

Burlington, VT

Elmwood Park Zoo

Norristown, PA

Franklin Park Zoo

Boston, MA

Greater Cleveland Aquarium

Cleveland, OH

Greensboro Science Center

Greensboro, NC

Greenville Zoo

Greenville, SC

Hutchinson Zoo

Hutchinson, KS

Iguanaland

Punta Gorda, FL

Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens

Jacksonville, FL

Jenkinson's Aquarium

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

John Ball Zoo

Grand Rapids, MI

Lehigh Valley Zoo

Schnecksville, PA

Lincoln Park Zoo

Chicago, IL

Louisville Zoo

Louisville, KY

Museum of Life & Science

Durham, NC

Mystic Aquarium

Mystic, CT

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Nashville, TN

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Dubuque, IA

North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

Pine Knoll Shores, NC

North Carolina Zoo

Asheboro, NC

Oakland Zoo

Oakland, CA

OdySea Aquarium

Scottsdale, AZ

Oklahoma City Zoo

Oklahoma City, OK

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Omaha, NE

Peoria Zoo

Peoria, IL

Phillips Park Zoo

Aurora, IL

Potter Park Zoo

Lansing, MI

Saginaw Children's Zoo

Saginaw, MI

Salisbury Zoological Park

Salisbury, MD

San Diego Zoo

San Diego, CA

Sedgwick County Zoo

Wichita, KS

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Washington, DC

Steinhart Aquarium

San Francisco, CA

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

The Buffalo Zoo

Buffalo, NY

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Norwalk, CT

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

Baltimore, MD

Tulsa Zoo

Tulsa, OK

Utah's Hogle Zoo

Salt Lake City, UT

Virginia Living Museum

Newport News, VA

Virginia Zoo

Norfolk, VA

Western North Carolina Nature Center

Asheville, NC

Zoo Knoxville

Knoxville, TN

Zoo New York

Watertown, NY

ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Tampa, FL

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