Caspian Turtle
Mauremys caspica
A native freshwater turtle of southeastern Georgia — not a land tortoise and not the slider.
Overview
What is Caspian Turtle
The Caspian turtle (Mauremys caspica) is a native freshwater turtle. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as biologically confirmed and found in southeastern Georgia. The checklist form is M. c. caspica; the western form M. c. rivulata is treated as a separate species. The figure specimen is from Tbilisi — Lisi Lake; that is a locality, not a city-wide map.
Last updated
Gallery
Caspian Turtle in photos
Photo: pedroluna_wildlife · iNaturalist
Photo: Rubén · iNaturalist
Photo: Fundación Tierra Ibérica · iNaturalist
Photo: Zakro Songulashvili
Photo: Giorgi Sheklashvili
Kumisi Lake ·
Photo: Giorgi Iankoshvili
Kasristskali
Photo: Laura and Bobby Bok
Kumisi Lake
Identification
How to identify Caspian Turtle
A native water turtle of the southeast. A domed shell is the land tortoise; a red ear stripe is the introduced slider.
A native water turtle with a flatter shell than a land tortoise’s dome. Not a land tortoise — it swims.
Pale lengthwise stripes often on the neck. A high-domed shell is the land tortoise (Testudo graeca).
Webbed feet; often basks on the bank of ponds, lakes, and slow waters.
No red stripe behind the eye — that mark belongs to the introduced slider (Trachemys scripta, T. s. elegans).
Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 name southeastern Georgia. The pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) occurs in western and eastern Georgia; its shell is often darker with yellow speckling.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Caspian Turtle.
No. Mauremys caspica is a freshwater turtle. Georgia’s only land tortoise is Testudo graeca.
Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: southeastern Georgia. The figure specimen is from Tbilisi — Lisi Lake; that is a locality, not a complete map.
The slider (Trachemys scripta) is introduced; T. s. elegans has a broad red stripe behind the eye. The Caspian turtle is native and lacks that stripe.
The pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) occurs in western and eastern Georgia; its shell is often darker with yellow speckling. The Caspian turtle is recorded from the southeast and often has lengthwise neck stripes.
Site classification: Harmless. It has no venom.
A native water turtle of the southeast. A domed shell is the land tortoise; a red ear stripe is the introduced slider.
An omnivorous freshwater turtle — invertebrates, plant material, and small vertebrates.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Georgian herpetofauna records cited in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026
- The Reptile Database
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Turtle species
Four turtles in one index — land, native freshwater, and the introduced slider.
IndexWaterFreshwater turtles
European pond turtle, Caspian turtle, and the introduced red-eared slider.
Freshwater turtlesIDTurtle identification
Field key: land or water, slider or native, Emys or Mauremys.
ID guide