Eastern River Cooter

Pseudemys concinna concinna — Emydidae

9–12 inches

IUCN

Least Concern

Federal (US)

None

Virginia

None

VWAP Tier

Not Listed

Habitat

aquaticsemi-aquaticriparian

Found in Virginia

Coastal plain Piedmont Blue ridge

How to identify

Large size, 9–12 inches
Yellow plastron, often with faint concentric markings
Dark carapace with yellow or light markings
C-shaped markings visible on the second pleural scute
Found in large rivers and open water

About this species

A large, robust freshwater turtle common in the clear, flowing rivers of Virginia's piedmont and coastal plain. Eastern river cooters are strong swimmers that prefer larger bodies of water with plenty of basking sites. They are similar to the red-bellied cooter but can be identified by their yellow plastron.

Often confused with

Northern Red-bellied Cooter

Red-bellied cooters have a reddish plastron and a distinctive arrow-shaped head marking

Coastal Plain Cooter

Coastal plain cooters are a subspecies found further east; the two are very difficult to distinguish without careful examination

Did you know

"Cooter is derived from an African word meaning turtle, brought to the Americas by enslaved West Africans — a reminder that common names carry cultural history."

Sightings & citizen science

Help document Virginia wildlife by logging your sightings on iNaturalist. Every observation builds the conservation data that researchers and rehabbers depend on.

View Eastern River Cooter observations on iNaturalist ↗

Found one injured?

If you've found an injured or displaced Eastern River Cooter in Virginia, our triage guide walks you through what to do.

Triage guide →