Editing Spotted turtle (section)

==Description==
[[File:Clemmys guttataHolbrookV1P11A Flipped.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Two drawings of a spotted turtle that show both the top (carapace) and bottom (plastron). The claws are long and the turtle is dark in color.]]
The spotted turtle is small and has a gray to black base color.<ref name=Ernst71>{{harvnb|Ernst|Barbour|1972|p=71}}</ref> Its upper shell ([[carapace]]) is smooth, does not have a central ridge running down the middle (called a "[[Turtle shell#Carapace|keel]]"),<ref name=Ernst205>{{Harvnb|Ernst|Barbour|Lovich|1994|p=205}}</ref> and grows to {{convert|3.5|-|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} in length.<ref name=NYSDEC/> It is also totally black and contains anywhere from zero to about one hundred yellow spots, which are a defining characteristic of this turtle.<ref name=NYSDEC/> Although perhaps inconsequential, it has been found that the left side of the upper shell has more spots than the right.<ref name=Ernst71/> Spots can always be found on the head, neck, and limbs.{{sfn|Gielewski|p=1}} The bottom shell ([[plastron]]) is yellow or orange-yellow and a black spot is present on each section ([[scute]]); however, with age, melanism of the plastron increases until the entire surface is black.<ref name="Ernst205"/>
[[File:Spotted Turtle - Clemmys guttata.jpg|thumb|alt=A spotted turtle standing on a sandy shore facing to the right.|Carapace is keelless and contains a varying number of yellow spots]]
The head is black and the upper jaw is notched.<ref name="Ernst205"/> On each side of the head is a large orange blotch.<ref name='Environment Canada'/> Also present are several yellow bands of varying size.<ref name=Ernst71/> Skin on the [[Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral|dorsal]] side of the turtle is black with sparse yellow spots while skin on the ventral side may be brighter: orange, pink, or red. These lightly pigmented areas do vary geographically <ref name="Ernst205"/> and the tail of some individuals has yellow striping.<ref name='Environment Canada'/> Regarding the geographical variation in spots, southern individuals tend to have smaller and less conspicuous spots than those of individuals from farther north.<ref name=Ernst71/> The spotted turtle's [[karyotype]] consists of 50 [[chromosome]]s.<ref name="Ernst205"/>

Visual differences between male and female turtles develop around the time of sexual maturity. The male spotted turtle has a tan chin, brown eyes, and a long, thick tail. The chin of the female is yellow; she also has orange eyes and a shorter tail than the male. In addition, the bottom shell of males is concave while it is either flat or convex in females. On average, females grow to be slightly larger than males.<ref name="Ernst205"/> Also, females have more spots than males (on average).<ref name=Ernst71/>

Hatchlings resemble the adults closely. Consistently, each segment of the upper shell has only one yellow spot.<ref name=Buhlmann71>{{Harvnb|Buhlmann|Tuberville|Gibbons|2008|p=71}}</ref>