A heart design on his nose!

The face you are looking at belongs to a male red ear slider. The red ear slider is a water turtle native to North America. It is probably the most prevalent water turtle in Southeast Missouri. It can be found almost anywhere there is water -- rivers, streams, lakes, swamps and farm ponds.

The adult female red ear slider is normally at least three times the weight of its male counterpart. Red ear sliders love to bask on logs sticking out of the water. They are the turtle most often seen basking in the sun. Sometimes the log will be covered with several red ear sliders. When frightened, they will suddenly turn loose of the log and drop into the water.

From a distance it is hard to see the beautiful yellow and green design on the skin of this turtle, but as you can see here this is a very beautiful animal. I found this one at a farm pond.