What is the difference between a red-eared slider and a Chinese pond turtle? A quick guide to tell them apart

We all know that there are hundreds of turtle species in the world, and quite a few of them can be kept as pets in ordinary households. Every species of turtle has its own fan base and its own admirers. However, different turtle species naturally require different keeping techniques, and they also differ in popularity. Some friends like to keep Chinese pond turtles and red-eared sliders together, so how do you tell a Chinese pond turtle from a red-eared slider?

1. The Chinese pond turtle, commonly known as the wugui, is the most widely distributed and most numerous of China's turtle species. The red-eared slider gets its name from the 2 thick red stripes on both sides of the back of its head, hence the name red-eared slider, commonly called the Brazilian turtle.

2. The Chinese pond turtle is regarded as a top-grade food and medicinal tonic, while the red-eared slider is globally recognized as an ecological killer.

3. The Chinese pond turtle's body is mostly elongated and oval, with a slightly raised shell and 3 fairly distinct keeled ridges. The top of the head is mostly black-olive, though some are bluish-green. The skin at the front is fairly smooth, with some small scales at the rear. The neck, limbs and exposed skin are basically gray-black or black-olive. Male Chinese pond turtles are relatively small, with a relatively long tail and a foul odor; at sexual maturity the carapace and plastron become ink-black, and the olive-green skin pattern fades to black. Female Chinese pond turtles have a carapace ranging from light brown to dark brown and a brown-black plastron, a shorter tail, and no body odor.

4. The red-eared slider's head is relatively small, with yellow-green longitudinal stripes on the head and neck, and a pair of red patches behind the eyes. The red-eared slider's carapace is relatively flat, and each scute has ring-shaped green markings