On the side of its head where a normal yellow-bellied slider would have solid yellow, there will be some red mixed in.

Yellow-bellied slider, a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.

What do 1,000 yellow-bellied sliders and Mississippi map turtles have to do with public health?

Baby yellow-bellied sliders may be kept in a fairly small tank, but as they age, after about three years,they will require much more space.

It also occurs in a different geographic location from the yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys s. scripta).

Yellow-bellied sliders are popular as pets.

The lifespan of yellow-bellied sliders is over 30 years in the wild, and over 40 years in captivity.

Trachemys scripta scripta (Yellow-bellied Slider)

Non avian species documented on the island include river otter, beaver, muskrat, snapping turtle, yellow-bellied slider turtle, map turtle and water snake.

Yellow-bellied sliders are capable of interbreeding with other T. scripta subspecies, such as red-eared sliders, which are also commonly sold as pets.

There are turtles such as: painted turtles, snapping turtles, musk turtles, red-eared sliders, yellow-bellied sliders, and northern map turtles.

For these reasons, they are often confused with yellow-bellied sliders, which also have yellow stripes and yellow plastrons, but the latter have green spots along the edges of their bellies.

The release of non-native red-eared sliders into local environments caused the state of Florida to ban the sale of red-eared sliders so as to protect the native population of yellow-bellied sliders.

Now, it is illegal in Florida to sell any wild-type red-eared slider, as they interbreed with the local yellow-bellied slider population - Trachemys scripta scripta is another subspecies of pond sliders, and intergrades typically combine the markings of the two subspecies.

Yellow-bellied sliders are often confused with Eastern River Cooters, who also have yellow stripes on the neck and yellow undersides, but the latter lack the green spots characteristic to T. scripta scripta and the yellow belly often has a "s" like yellow stripe on its face.

The yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.

Trachemys scripta scripta (Yellow-bellied Slider)

Now, it is illegal in Florida to sell any wild-type red-eared slider, as they interbreed with the local yellow-bellied slider population - Trachemys scripta scripta is another subspecies of pond sliders, and intergrades typically combine the markings of the two subspecies.