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Three western pond turtles basking on a log in water.
Photo: Jerry Kirkhart, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Western Pond Turtle

Actinemys marmorata

California's only native freshwater turtle, a small olive-brown turtle that zoos help return to local ponds.

🐢 Turtles and Tortoises
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About the Western Pond Turtle

Western pond turtles are 4.5 to 8.5 inches long with dark brown or olive shells and marbled patterns. They live in streams, lakes, ponds, rivers and wetlands from Washington State to Baja California, where they need land nearby for basking and nesting. They eat algae, water plants, insects, fish, crayfish and sometimes carrion.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Actinemys marmorata[1]
Size
4.5 to 8.5 inches long.[1]
Lifespan
40 to 70 years as adults.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Algae, water plants, invertebrates, fish, crayfish and carrion.[1]
Habitat
Streams, lakes, ponds, rivers and wetlands with nearby land.[1]
Where it lives
Washington State to Baja California.[1]
Babies
Eggs hatch in about three months; hatchlings often overwinter underground.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 1996).[2]

Fun facts

  • It's California's only native freshwater turtle.[1]
  • SF Zoo has released young turtles into Mountain Lake in San Francisco.[1]
  • Western pond turtles don't breed until they are 8 to 14 years old.[1]

Vocabulary

freshwater
Water that is not salty, like in lakes and rivers.
bask
To lie in the sun to warm up.
invasive species
A living thing brought to a new place where it harms native species.
reintroduce
To return a species to a place where it used to live.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Western pond turtle.” https://www.sfzoo.org/western-pond-turtle/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Emys marmorata (Western Pond Turtle).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4969/97292542 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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