The painted turtle's shell is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long, oval, smooth with little grooves where the large scale-like plates overlap, and flat-bottomed.
The color of the top shell (carapace) varies from olive to black.
Darker specimens are more common where the bottom of the water body is darker.
The bottom shell (plastron) is yellow, sometimes red, sometimes with dark markings in the center.
Similar to the top shell, the turtle's skin is olive to black, but with red and yellow stripes on its neck, legs, and tail.
As with other pond turtles, such as the bog turtle, the painted turtle's feet are webbed to aid swimming.

The head of the turtle is distinctive.
The face has only yellow stripes, with a large yellow spot and streak behind each eye, and on the chin two wide yellow stripes that meet at the tip of the jaw.
The turtle's upper jaw is shaped into an inverted "V" (philtrum), with a downward-facing, tooth-like projection on each side.

The hatchling has a proportionally larger head, eyes, and tail, and a more circular shell than the adult.
The adult female is generally longer than the male, 10–25 cm (4–10 in) versus 7–15 cm (3–6 in).
For a given length, the female has a higher (more rounded, less flat) top shell.
The female weighs around 500 g (18 oz) on average, against the males' average adult weight of roughly 300 g (11 oz).
The female's greater body volume supports her egg-production.
The male has longer foreclaws and a longer, thicker tail, with the anus (cloaca) located further out on the tail.
The painted turtle's shell is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long, oval, smooth with little grooves where the large scale-like plates overlap, and flat-bottomed. The color of the top shell (carapace) varies from olive to black. Darker specimens are more common where the bottom of the water body is darker. The bottom shell (plastron) is yellow, sometimes red, sometimes with dark markings in the center. Similar to the top shell, the turtle's skin is olive to black, but with red and yellow stripes on its neck, legs, and tail. As with other pond turtles, such as the bog turtle, the painted turtle's feet are webbed to aid swimming.
The head of the turtle is distinctive. The face has only yellow stripes, with a large yellow spot and streak behind each eye, and on the chin two wide yellow stripes that meet at the tip of the jaw. The turtle's upper jaw is shaped into an inverted "V" (philtrum), with a downward-facing, tooth-like projection on each side.
The hatchling has a proportionally larger head, eyes, and tail, and a more circular shell than the adult. The adult female is generally longer than the male, 10–25 cm (4–10 in) versus 7–15 cm (3–6 in). For a given length, the female has a higher (more rounded, less flat) top shell. The female weighs around 500 g (18 oz) on average, against the males' average adult weight of roughly 300 g (11 oz). The female's greater body volume supports her egg-production. The male has longer foreclaws and a longer, thicker tail, with the anus (cloaca) located further out on the tail.
Painted turtle