Pseudemys nelsoni
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Florida red-bellied cooter or Florida redbelly turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni) is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The specific name, nelsoni, is in honor of American biologist George Nelson (born 1873).
Pseudemys nelsoni is native to Florida, and southern Georgia. Fossils of P. nelsoni have also been found along the coast of South Carolina from the Pleistocene Epoch, indicating that the historic range of this species used to extend farther north. Today, its northern counterpart, the Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Psuedemys rubriventris) occupies this region.
The Florida red-bellied cooter is mainly herbivorous, and can be found in nearly any type of aquatic habitat. It feeds on a variety of aquatic plants including waterweed (Vallisneria and Elodea), duckweed (Lemna and Wolffia), and arrowhead (Sagittaria) species. It has been documented consuming algae as well. Juveniles tend to primarily consume small insects. As juveniles age, they transition to a plant-dominated diet. It reaches particularly high densities in spring runs, and occasionally can be found in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zoobotánico Jerez | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Francisco Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Brevard Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 10 | bioparco | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 11 | Salzburg Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 12 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Jardin zoologique de la ville de Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Palm Beach Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Zoo de Córdoba | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | Sarasota Jungle Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | A Cupulatta | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Bear Hollow Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Almere Jungle | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 21 | Animal - Bird Collection | 🇬🇷 Greece | |
| 22 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 23 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Virginia Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Tropical World | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 26 | Aquarium River of Zaragoza | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 27 | Tennessee Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Redbelly Turtle sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Redbelly Turtle in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against about 20% in October and November, the lowest months. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida Redbelly Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Florida Redbelly Turtle sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Florida Redbelly Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (112 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
