Wildsight
Compare two species

River Cooter vs. Northwestern Pond Turtle

Both bask on logs in the same park lakes and ponds; their California records overlap. A: Many thin yellow stripes in the River Cooter; plain olive or grey, finely flecked, no stripes in the Northwestern Pond Turtle. B: Olive with yellow C-shaped marks, the rear edge saw-toothed in the River Cooter; low and plain olive-brown, faintly flecked in the Northwestern Pond Turtle. The cooter is a released pet; the pond turtle is California's only native freshwater turtle and is protected.

Open this comparison in Wildsight

River Cooter

Pseudemys concinna

Northwestern Pond Turtle

Actinemys marmorata
River Cooter vs. Northwestern Pond Turtle: comparison sheet with the differences marked

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison