- Origin: United States
- Class: Reptiles
- Order: Testudines
- Suborder: Cryptodires
- Family: Emydae
The Florida turtle lives in marshes, calm waterways or canals; essentially aquatic, it nevertheless spends a good part of its time basking in the sun on stones or dead trunks near water so that it can take refuge there in the event of an alarm. Like all reptiles, it is a poikilotherm: the warmth of its environment helps it to maintain a good internal temperature. Carnivorous, it hunts small fish or earthworms as well as aquatic insects. Adults also eat plants, their diet is hence omnivorous.
Imported en masse by the pet shop trade and released into our waterways by irresponsible owners, it has become a threat to local flora and fauna. For some years now, it has been banned from the trade.
IUCN Status : least concern (Appendix III)