t_scripta_002

Arkansas, USA

This is a newborn. This kind of turtle was sold by the thousands (or millions?) in the pet trade. They often came in a little bowl with a minature palm tree. Very few survived more than a week or two. Partly, at that time keeping reptiles was not mainstream and most people simply didn't have the knowledge necessary to properly care for them. The buying and selling of this species is now closely regulated.