Mesoamerican Slider

Mesoamerican Slider

Trachemys venusta

Silhouette: DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS) · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

6 Verified sightings at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary From 2019 to 2026
142 In all 11 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mesoamerican Slider

The Meso-American slider (Trachemys venusta) is a species of turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. The species is distributed from Mexico to Colombia. Trachemys venusta is found from southeastern Mexico to northwestern Colombia.

Trachemys venusta venusta – Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatán Trachemys venusta cataspila – Mexico in the states of San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz

Trachemys venusta grayi – El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca The following three new subspecies were described in 2010. Trachemys venusta iversoni – Mexico in the state of Yucatán Trachemys venusta panamensis – Panama

Trachemys venusta uhrigi – Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia in the departments of Antioquia and Chocó Trachemys venusta venusta (Gray, 1856) – Belize slider Trachemys venusta cataspila (Günther, 1885) – Huastecan slider

Trachemys venusta grayi (Bocourt, 1868) – Gray's slider Trachemys venusta iversoni McCord, Joseph-Ouni, Hagen & Blanck, 2010 – Yucatán slider Trachemys venusta panamensis McCord,... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~20%
2 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
3 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
4 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
7 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
8 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
9 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
10 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ciudad Juárez 🇲🇽 México
~20%
2 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
3 San Luis Potosí 🇲🇽 México
~10%
4 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~10%
6 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
7 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
8 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Yumka' 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
2 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
3 Guadalajara Zoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
4 Vallazoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
5 Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos 🇧🇴 Bolivia In captivity
6 L'Oceanogràfic 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
7 Safari Masai Mara 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
8 Zoo de Córdoba 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
9 Papiliorama 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
10 El Nispero Zoo 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
11 Georgia Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Zoologico Sahuatoba 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
13 Parque museo La Venta 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
14 Zoológico "Zoochilpan" 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
15 Aquarium of Veracruz 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
16 Almere Jungle 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
17 Animal - Bird Collection 🇬🇷 Greece In captivity
18 Gran Acuario de Mazatlán "Mar de Cortés" 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
19 Acuario Michin Guadalajara 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
20 Quinta das Palmeiras 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
21 Acuario Inbursa 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
22 Key West Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
23 Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
24 Biouniverzoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
25 Zoo León 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
26 Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mesoamerican Slider in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Slider sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 10 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mesoamerican Slider in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?

July

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mesoamerican Slider in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in June and December–March, the lowest months. September has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Mesoamerican Slider?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mesoamerican Slider sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary the best place to see a Mesoamerican Slider?

Yes

Of the 11 parks where we can rate Mesoamerican Slider sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 20%) and Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 20%).

Where does the Mesoamerican Slider sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mesoamerican Slider is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (6 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.

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