weather conditions: 92 degrees, mostly sunny
environmental context: spotted in ichetucknee springs state park while floating in the spring. the water is very cold here and there were a lot of tree branches in the water.
identifying it: I looked at the iNaturalist recommendations and used those pictures to compare them to the ones I took. I also looked up what turtles are usually found at Ichetucknee park and compared my photo to the ones i found on google as well.

There are multiple species present in this photo. I believe the one farthest from and the one closest to the camera are Florida cooters. I will post this image multiple times and identify each species separately.

Description: Wild Tortoise discovered in the waters of a conservation park located in Tampa, Florida. The spotted tortoise was approximately a foot long and was of a dark color. If looked at very closely, slight yellow strips might be seen along the surface of its body.
Defining Characteristics: This species is indicative of the family of Emydidae.
Geographic Distribution: This species is generally found in freshwaters of the Florida peninsula.

Full Distribution: Animal Diversity Web: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pseudemys_peninsularis/
References: All Turtles: https://www.allturtles.com/peninsula-cooter/

A REQUEST:
When recommending an identification, please adhere to current standards of taxonomy as deployed by iNaturalist at this time — as opposed to identifying and classifying organisms based on personal beliefs about what taxonomy can, should, or of right ought to be in opposition to iNaturalist’s current taxonomy. Comments noting such taxonomic disagreements, however, are welcomed and encouraged. I prefer my observations to be inline with current taxonomic standards as deployed by iNaturalist (as opposed to my personal beliefs) so that this and other observations are readily accessible to iNaturalist users with greater efficiency and usability. Thanks!

If you have any questions regarding this observation, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below!

Janson Jones,
http://floridensis.com.