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The Florida red-bellied cooter or Florida redbelly turtle (''Pseudemys nelsoni'') is a species of the genus ''Pseudemys''. Its range is in Florida, and southern Georgia. The Florida redbelly cooter is mainly herbivorous, and can be found in nearly any type of aquatic habitat. It reaches particularly high densities in spring runs, and occasionally can be found in brackish water. This species is active year-round and spends a large portion of the day basking on logs. They are noted for sometimes laying their eggs in the nest mounds of alligators. The Florida redbelly is closely related to the Peninsula cooter (''Pseudemys floridana'') and can often be found basking on logs together. The Florida redbelly can be distinguished from the other turtles by its distinctive red-tinged plastron (belly) and two cusps (like teeth) on its upper beak. Like most ''Pseudemys'' turtles, this species is a fairly large river turtle. Carapace length in mature turtles can range from .〔()〕 Females, which average in length and weigh , are noticeably larger than males, which are around and in mass.〔()〕〔()〕 Florida redbellies are commonly exported for consumption and the pet trade, with about 50% wild caught individuals and 50% captive bred. Most of US export statistics (as collected by the World Chelonian Trust in 2002-2005) simply describe exported turtles by its genus, ''Pseudemys'', without identifying the species. They are exported by the million, and are mostly farm-raised.〔(Declared Turtle Trade From the United States - ''Pseudemys sp.'' )〕 ==References== * (Florida red-bellied cooter ) Southeast Ecological Science Center. * Ernst, C.H., R.W. Barbour and J.E. Lovich. (1994). ''Turtles of the United States and Canada''. Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press. * Hubbs, C. (1995). Springs and spring runs as unique aquatic systems. ''Copeia''. 1995(4): 989-991. * Reed, R.N. and J.W. Gibbons. (2004). Conservation status of live U.S. nonmarine turtles in domestic and international trade – a report to: U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Aiken, SC, Savannah River Ecology Lab: 1-92. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Florida red-bellied cooter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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