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Identification
The Western Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) is a mid-sized turtle with a smooth, hard shell. They can grow up to 10 inches in length and are usually tan to olive green.
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The latin name reticularia means “net-like” and refers to the netlike pattern of lighter colored rings on its shell. The turtle species that most commonly shares habitat with the chicken turtle is the red-eared slider, so knowing the difference between them is important.
Western Chicken Turtle
Red-eared Slider
The easiest way to identify a chicken turtle is by looking at the front legs. It is the only species within its range that has one solid yellow bar on each front leg. The hind legs can be a good secondary identifier, as this species has vertical yellow stripes across its rump.
Chicken turtle
Red-eared slider
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
Front
Back
One thick bar
Multipule pin stripes
Vertical stripes
Circles or oval blotches
The red-eared slider has multiple, thiner stripes on each forelimb and a random pattern of yellow ovals or circles on its hind limbs.
If you only have a shell to identify, you can identify a chicken turtle by looking at the first dorsal scute (scale). The first dorsal scute is shown at left with an arrow.
Chicken Turtles are the only species within its range in which the first dorsal scute touches five of the scutes on the edge of its shell (with the exception of the yellow mud turtle, which will not have the striped rump).
The rear of the chicken turtle’s shell is smooth, while most of the similar species within its range have serrations on the rear of their shells.
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