No confirmed photo of Green turtle
Green turtle
Chelonia mydas
Oregon Turtles: Identification Guide With Pictures
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: Oregon has two native turtles, the Western pond and the Western painted turtle.
This page lists 7 turtles. 2 are nonnative. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife gives a total of 2; the 7 here are the turtles official sources name one by one.
All 7 turtles
From A to Z.
Leatherback turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
- Size
- Adults 5 to 6 feet long, 750 to 1,000 pounds (NOAA). Texas Parks and Wildlife cites weights up to 1,300 lb and shells up to 8 feet.
- How to recognize it
- The only sea turtle that lacks scales and a hard shell.
- Front flippers proportionally longer than in other sea turtles; rear flippers paddle-shaped.
- Usually a pink spot on top of the head that can identify individuals.
- Conservation
- Proposed critical habitat for this endangered species includes Oregon waters.
What the sources say
Habitat: Proposed critical habitat for this endangered species includes Oregon waters. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta
- Size
- Adults 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and 200 to 350 pounds (NOAA). NCWRC gives 31 to 45 inches shell length and 170 to 350 pounds; SCDNR says adults can weigh as much as 300 pounds and reach up to four feet in shell length.
- How to recognize it
- Very large head with powerful jaws.
- Slightly heart-shaped top shell.
- Two pairs of scales (prefrontal scutes) between the eyes above the nostrils; two claws on each flipper.
No confirmed photo of Red-eared slider
Red-eared slider
Trachemys scripta
Snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
- Size
- Upper shell usually 8 to 14 inches, occasionally to nearly 20; usually 10 to 35 lb, occasionally to 75 lb in the wild.
- How to recognize it
- Large head, long tail
- Saw-toothed scales on the long tail
- Small, cross-shaped lower shell
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Western painted turtle
Chrysemys picta
- Size
- Small: adult shell usually 4 to 7 inches, up to about 10 inches; females are larger than males.
- How to recognize it
- Smooth, fairly flat shell with no keel and a smooth (not saw-toothed) rear edge
- Red markings on the marginal shell plates
- Yellow spot behind each eye and yellow stripes on the chin
- Where in Oregon
- These painted turtles occur in the Blue Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
What the sources say
Habitat: Western painted turtles need marshy ponds, small lakes, slow-moving streams and quiet, off-channel portions of rivers. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Western pond turtle
Actinemys marmorata
- Where in Oregon
- Western pond turtles are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Coast Range, East and West Cascades, Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Conservation
- Western pond turtles are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Coast Range, East and West Cascades, Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions.
What the sources say
Habitat: Western pond turtles prefer marshes, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Turtles people confuse
Loggerhead sea turtle or Leatherback sea turtle?
Loggerhead sea turtle Not stated
Leatherback sea turtle Not stated
Adult leatherbacks differ from all other sea turtles, including the loggerhead, in their large size, spindle-shaped body and leathery shell without scales.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When turtles are active in Oregon
Records of turtles in Oregon peak in March to May and September. They show when people record turtles, not how many there are (about month bars).
How to report
Invasive species sightings: Oregon Invasives Hotline, oregoninvasiveshotline.org or 1-866-INVADER; wildlife conflicts: local ODFW office (ODFW main phone 503-947-6000) Oregon Invasives Hotline
What official sources say
Are there sea turtles in Oregon?
Yes. ODFW says three sea turtle species (loggerhead, green, leatherback) can be found in Oregon's coastal waters. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
“Three species of sea turtles can be found in Oregon's coastal waters.”
About this list
The species list comes from ODFW Wildlife Viewing: Turtles; Sea Turtles (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, undated web page (footer "© Copyright 2026 Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife"); as of retrieval 2026-11-03). 7 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.
Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.
"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Oregon.
Sources
- Wildlife Viewing. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Turtles (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Oregon has two native turtles, the Western pond and the Western painted turtle.”
- Western painted turtle (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Western pond turtle (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Reptiles (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Green turtle (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Leatherback turtle (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Loggerhead turtle (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Oregon Invasives Hotline. Oregon Invasives Hotline (Oregon Invasive Species Council; "Maintained by Oregon State University"). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Report potential invasive species you've found to the Online Hotline. Your submission will provide vital early detection information to the experts working to stop the next invasion before it starts!”
- Sea Turtles (ODFW Wildlife Viewing). Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Three species of sea turtles can be found in Oregon's coastal waters.”
- GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.