A sunny December day brought out a turtle.
A long-ago started post that I neglected to finish. Notice how very blue the sky was in December, not this humid distorted blah we are having now.
Yellow-bellied Slider
Tag Archives: Yellow-bellied Slider
Turtle in the Grass
I usually see Yellow-bellied Sliders either in a pond or basking on a bank. This may be the first time I’d seen one walk across a field.
I did some identification research and was surprised to discover nearly 30 species of turtles can be found in South Carolina.
Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Cuddo Unit
Ready for Liftoff
Imagine the Anhinga piloting a flying ship full of Yellow-bellied Sliders….
Belly Up the Bar, Boys
In the old westerns when you heard that you knew there was trouble lurking.
These Yellow-bellied sliders have little to fear, at least from this Alligator.
Camoflaged Turtles
Yellow-bellied Sliders were taking advantage of the sun on a recent walk around a pond, positioning themselves on anything sticking out of the water. They had traveled through duck weed and other pond vegetation to get to the coveted spots.
I don’t think the vegetation does a thing to protect the turtles. Alligators, the apex predator in this pond, follows his prey by motion and is himself camouflaged by the same pond covering.
The smallest turtle I saw added a leg extension to his pose, probably needing a little balance to stay on the pointed rock.
