My dogs found this in the woods today. They were barking like crazy and had knocked it upside down so I rescued it.
But I'm wondering if it is a water or land turtle? It looks harmless... so I put it over near the pond.
We've had large amounts of rainfall for the past year so it may have been living in a soggy wooded area or something... should I put it back in the woods?
Help me out please.
Here is the underside.
Well... I think I did the right thing. I just went down to the pond to check on the turtle and saw his little head peaking at me from out of the water, near the cattails. Hopefully he is happy and will stay for awhile.
Looks kind of like a red eared slider.
You did the right thing. Water turtles, or terrapins, have flatter shells. Land turtles (tortoises) have rounder shells, like an upside down bowl. Be careful around him though. They can snap and scratch; but mostly they hiss at you when they are upset. My son has a red-eared slider in an aquarium. He loves turtles and we have learned all about them in home school.
