Florida Redbelly Turtle

Florida Redbelly Turtle

Pseudemys nelsoni

Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days ~10%

10 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
1,042 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Florida Redbelly Turtle

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
2 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
3 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
5 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
6 Zhuhai [Macau] 🇨🇳 China
~10%
7 Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal
~10%
8 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
9 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
<5%
10 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 SeaWorld Orlando 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Busch Gardens Tampa 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Zoobotánico Jerez 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
4 Zoo Miami 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Oakland Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 San Francisco Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Brevard Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Lisbon Zoo 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
10 bioparco 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
11 Salzburg Zoo 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
12 Loro Parque 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
13 Jardin zoologique de la ville de Lyon 🇫🇷 France In captivity
14 Palm Beach Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
15 Zoo de Córdoba 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
16 Sarasota Jungle Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
17 Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
18 A Cupulatta 🇫🇷 France In captivity
19 Bear Hollow Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
20 Almere Jungle 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
21 Animal - Bird Collection 🇬🇷 Greece In captivity
22 Castellar Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
23 Florida Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
24 Virginia Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
25 Tropical World 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
26 Aquarium River of Zaragoza 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
27 Tennessee Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Florida Redbelly Turtle in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Redbelly Turtle sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Florida Redbelly Turtle in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Redbelly Turtle in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Florida Redbelly Turtle?

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.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Florida Redbelly Turtle?

15th of 15

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Florida Redbelly Turtle sightings, Los Angeles ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in Miami (United States, about 20%), Valencia (Spain, about 10%) and Orlando (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Florida Redbelly Turtle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Florida Redbelly Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Los Angeles (10 verified sightings), 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.

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