Turtles

The Painted Turtle is the only turtle to be found in the vicinity of Kootenay Lake. And while I have not seen it on the Lake, itself, it is found in adjacent ponds and waterways.

A Painted Turtle basks in the sun. The long claws on the forefeet readily identify it as a male.

A Painted Turtle has no teeth, but it will bite with its hard beak.

Male (front, long claws) and female (back, short claws) Painted Turtles bask in the sun. The female is usually larger than the male.

A favourite haunt of the Painted Turtles on a sunny day is a loafing log in a pond. They control their temperatures by climbing in and out of the water, and are well protected from land predators.

This turtle must share its loafing lon with others: four mallards.

Usually a turtle loafs with its legs extended. Why are they tucked in on this occasion?

The turtle barely cracked its eye lid when this mallard chick stopped by.

Information from BC Ministry of the Environment: Painted Turtle, BC.