Daily Zoo Animal #30: River Cooter

River cooter Pseudemys concinna

These turtles closely resemble the small pond turtles like sliders and painted turtles, but grow to be much larger. This individual, in the river habitat exhibit in Bird's World, has a shell length of nearly a foot. A zookeeper explained that this turtle was more at ease since another turtle that used to harass her had been removed from the exhibit. River cooters turn up in the pet trade, but quickly outgrow the set-ups that most pet owners provide for them.


The same exhibit houses an African white-backed duck.