Montana Field Guide

Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta) is native to southeastern US through Central and South America. This species is commonly kept as a pet and is also known by its subspecies names: Red-eared, Yellow-bellied, and Cumberland Slider. When released into the wild, they can compete with native species for food and other resources and introduce diseases. In Montana this species has been found in urban ponds in Missoula, Helena, and Billings, likely the result of people releasing unwanted pets. Pond Slider most closely resembles the native Painted Turtle, but all subspecies of slider lack the bright coloration of the underside of the shell characteristic of painted turtles and the upper shell appears more domed.