Harmless · Native to the United States

Spotted turtle

Clemmys guttata (Schneider, 1792)

Also called polka-dot turtle
Data updated October 2026

Spotted turtle resting on moss at a wetland edge, showing yellow spots scattered across a black shell
Fig. 1 — Adult with the bright yellow spots on a black shell that give the species its name.
Close view of a spotted turtle's dark head with yellow and orange spots
Fig. 2 — Spots often extend onto the head, neck and legs.

At a glance

A small black turtle sprinkled with yellow spots, found in shallow wetlands from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Coast. It is most active in early spring and often goes quiet by summer. Habitat loss and collection for the pet trade have made it rare or protected in many states.

01

Identification

The spotted turtle is small, with a smooth, low, black to blue-black shell covered in round yellow, yellow-orange or cream spots. The number of spots varies widely from turtle to turtle, averaging around 30, and a few have almost none. The lower shell is yellow or cream with large black blotches. Males have longer, thicker tails than females.

  1. 01Yellow polka dots. Small round spots scattered over a smooth black shell, with no ridges or growth rings.
  2. 02Spotted skin. Yellow or orange spots usually continue onto the dark head, neck and legs.
  3. 03Small size. Adults rarely top 4½ inches. The similar Blanding’s turtle is far larger, with a bright yellow chin and a high, domed shell.

02

Size

02 in4 in6 in8 in10 in12 in Typical adult shell · about 4 in (10 cm)

Adults have an upper shell about 3½ to 4½ inches (9–11.5 cm) long. The record is about 5 inches (12.7 cm). The largest known Virginia specimen weighed about 234 grams, roughly half a pound.

03

Range & habitat

Shallow sedge marsh with clear water and tussocks, typical spotted turtle habitat
Fig. 3 — Shallow, plant-filled wetlands such as sedge meadows and marshes are typical habitat.

Spotted turtles occur in two main areas: the Great Lakes region (including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and southern Ontario), and the Atlantic states from southern Maine south along the coastal plain to northern Florida. Populations are scattered and often small. They live in shallow, clear, slow or still water with soft bottoms and lots of plants — marshes, wet meadows, bogs, fens, vernal pools, swamps, ditches, flooded fields and the upper edges of tidal marshes. They avoid deep water. They also spend time on land, crossing uplands between wetlands, nesting, and resting in the heat of summer.

State guides: Florida

04

Diet & predators

Spotted turtles are mostly meat-eaters that forage in shallow water. They eat aquatic insects and larvae, worms, slugs, snails, small crayfish, spiders, millipedes and the occasional tadpole or small frog. They also eat some algae and other plants. Most feeding happens in spring, when wetlands are full and cool.

Feeds on

  • Aquatic insects and larvae
  • Earthworms, slugs and snails
  • Small crayfish, spiders and millipedes
  • Tadpoles, small frogs and some plants

Preyed on by

Earthworm on damp soil
Prey — earthworms.
Raccoon at the edge of a wetland
Predator — raccoon.

05

Behavior & seasons

Spotted turtles are cool-weather turtles. They come out with the first thaw in late winter or early spring and are easiest to see from March through May, often basking on tussocks, logs or mats of vegetation. In Virginia about three quarters of records fall in those months, and few are seen after June. In the heat of summer many go inactive, resting buried in mud, under leaves or in upland cover until conditions cool.

They spend the winter in wetlands, often tucked under the roots of trees and shrubs or in the mud of vernal pools and marshes. Males in particular may travel some distance overland in spring, moving between wetlands in search of mates.

06

Reproduction

Courtship and mating take place in early spring in shallow water, where males chase and court females. Females usually nest once a year, in May through July depending on latitude, digging a shallow nest in open, sunny spots such as meadows, fields or disturbed ground. A clutch holds 2 to 8 eggs, commonly 3 or 4. Eggs hatch after about 40 to 80 days. Nest temperature sets the sex: warmer nests produce females and cooler nests males. Spotted turtles mature slowly, at about 7 to 14 years, and have been recorded living at least 19 years in the wild.

07

Conservation

The US Fish and Wildlife Service was petitioned to list the spotted turtle in 2012 and found in 2015 that listing might be warranted. After a full review, the Service announced on September 4, 2025 that listing under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time, so the species has no federal protection under the Act.

It is still protected by many states. In New Hampshire, for example, it is listed as threatened and it is illegal to possess, sell or take one. The main threats are loss and fragmentation of wetlands and nearby uplands, road deaths, illegal collection for the pet trade and rising numbers of raccoons and other predators that thrive around people. Because spotted turtles mature late and lay few eggs, even small losses of adults can push a population into decline. Browse endangered reptiles.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages