Yellow-bellied slider | |
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Female yellow-bellied slider | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
Family: | Emydidae |
Genus: | Trachemys |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | T. s. scripta
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Trinomial name | |
Trachemys scripta scripta | |
The ranges of the three subspecies of pond slider. The yellow-bellied slider is in yellow. | |
Synonyms[3] | |
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The yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) is a subspecies of the pond slider (Trachemys scripta), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia,[4] and is the most common turtle species in its range.[5] It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds.[6] Yellow-bellied sliders are popular as pets. They are a model organism for population studies due to their high population densities.[7]