What are the differences between the Chinese pond turtle and the red-eared slider? A quick guide to telling them apart

The Chinese pond turtle, also known as the golden-thread turtle, is one of the turtle species native to China, mainly distributed across the East Asian mainland; the red-eared slider, also called the red-eared terrapin or little painted turtle, originated in the Americas and is one of the turtle species introduced to China from abroad. These two turtles are now widely sold on China's turtle market, so what are the differences between the Chinese pond turtle and the red-eared slider?

1. Differences between the Chinese pond turtle and the red-eared slider

The Chinese pond turtle belongs to the family Geoemydidae, genus Mauremys, and is mainly distributed in mainland China, Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions, generally inhabiting rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and other water bodies. The red-eared slider belongs to the family Emydidae, genus Trachemys, and originated from the central United States to northern Mexico; today it is distributed worldwide.

The Chinese pond turtle's carapace is relatively flat, with three longitudinal keels; the plastron is brownish yellow, and each scute has large dark brown patches. The snout is short. In most male Chinese pond turtles, the markings on the neck disappear after adulthood, and the whole body turns jet black. The red-eared slider's snout tip protrudes slightly, the head is smooth and scaleless, dark green with yellow longitudinal stripes; the stripes on the underside are wider than those on the back. In adult turtles the neck is grayish black with alternating yellow and green longitudinal stripes, and the ventral stripes are wide.

2. Differences in keeping the Chinese pond turtle and the red-eared slider

The Chinese pond turtle is omnivorous; in captivity it is mainly fed small fish and shrimp, lean meat, small insects, rice, vegetables and so on. When young it leans toward a meat diet, and after adulthood it leans toward a vegetarian diet. When keeping the Chinese pond turtle, it also needs to bask its shell; the vitamin D produced by sunlight helps the absorption of calcium and is very important for the growth of the shell. The Chinese pond turtle is easy to keep; if water quality, temperature and food are all well controlled, it will hardly ever get sick.

The red-eared slider is mainly carnivorous in captivity, especially at the hatchling and juvenile stages, when it mostly feeds on small fish and shrimp, lean animal meat and so on. The most suitable water temperature for the red-eared slider's growth is 20~32°C. In summer it must not be exposed to blazing sun, as it can easily be killed by the heat. The red-eared slider suffers from many diseases, generally including white eye disease, gastroenteritis, choking on water, pneumonia, acne disease and so on, so extra attention is needed when keeping it in captivity.

That is all for distinguishing the Chinese pond turtle from the red-eared slider. When buying turtles on the market to keep, you still need to tell these two kinds of turtles apart; generally speaking, the Chinese pond turtle is much less difficult to keep than the red-eared slider.