Photo by Schneider (From the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History website)
One of Connecticut's most common turtles, the painted turtle is easily identified by its smooth, unkeeled shell, and its vivid and colorful markings. It has yellow neck stripes, yellow and red-striped limbs, a carapace bordered by red and yellow markings, and an orange-yellow plastron. Because of its conspicuous basking habits, this turtle is also often called the "sun turtle".