Painted Turtle

The painted turtle is a common sight at fresh waterways across North America. At home in ponds, marshes, lakes rivers and other permanent bodies of water the painted turtle is most often spotted sunning themselves on a rock or log on warm sunny days. They spend most of their time underwater, even sleeping in the mud at the bottom of the pond, lake or such. They can survive a long time underwater with out coming up to take a breathe by absorbing oxygen through the skin of their throats and near their anus. This unique way of absorbing oxygen, and their very slow metabolism, help them to survive for months buried in the mud under the water and ice during the winter.