15 Weird and Cutest Turtle and Endangered Tortoise Species

Yellow bellied slider: This turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta) is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia, and is the most common turtle species in its range. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds. Yellow-bellied sliders are popular as pets. They are a model organism for population studies due to their high population densities. The lifespan of yellow-bellied sliders is over 30 years in the wild, and over 40 years in captivity.