This is one of the many wonderful animals that the French physician and naturalist Jean-Charles Chenu (1808-1879) included in his extensive encyclopedia. The Encyclopedie d’histoire naturelle was published in 1856 and one of several volumes in the set.
The European pond turtle illustration provides a view of these turtles from the side. Another of his illustrations shows this turtle from the top.
These turtles have yellow spots with hints of green and mostly brown shells. These turtles live in fresh-water, mostly ponds, across Europe. They only grow to about 12-38 cm long – considered medium-sized for turtles.
This European pond turtle illustration has a sweet charm to it. His eye almost winks and he looks like he might have a hint of a smile too. Wouldn’t he look cute in your next project?
The illustration shown below is slightly smaller than the original to fit the page. However, if you want to view the full-sized version, just click on the drawing shown below.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
