Pseudemys rubriventris
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The northern red-bellied turtle (Pseudemys rubriventris) or American red-bellied turtle is a species of turtle in the Pseudemys (cooter) genus of the family Emydidae. This is a fairly large river turtle. Females average about 30 cm (12 in) in length and weigh on average around 3 kg (6.6 lb), although large females can measure up to 40 cm (16 in). Males' maximum size is 29.5 centimetres (11.6 in). The northern red-bellied turtle is the largest recorded basking turtle in the Chesapeake Bay region.
It is endemic to the United States. The current range of the red-bellied turtle includes a population in Massachusetts, the Plymouth red-bellied turtle, which was previously considered a distinct subspecies (Pseudemys rubriventris bangsi) as well as the coastal areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
The red-bellied turtle has appeared on Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists of endangered amphibians and reptiles since 1978 (McCoy 1985). Small (less than thirty individuals... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Virginia Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Central Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | WWI Memorial Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Heartwood Haven Animal Sanctuary | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-bellied Cooter sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-bellied Cooter in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Red-bellied Cooter sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Shenandoah National Park, in our data
Shenandoah National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Northern Red-bellied Cooter sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Emydidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Red-bellied Cooter that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Emydidae, Pond and Box Turtles) are Common Box Turtle (about 50%) and Painted Turtle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Red-bellied Cooter is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Shenandoah National Park (10 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.
