The Red eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans and the Yellow bellied slider, Trachemys scripta scripta turtles are closely related pond slider turtles. All turtles are reptiles and are cold blooded. Almost all animals are cold blooded with the exception of birds and mammals. The advantage of being cold blooded is, they do not need to exert energy to keep warm. The disadvantage of being cold blooded is, they must find a patch of sun to stretch out in, just to get warm. And with turtles, if the area with the sun is not big enough, they can be found standing on top of each other. As enjoyed at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park 18 December 2021.
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