Identifiable by the yellow and black spots on the bottom of its shell.
I believe that these are painting turtles that lay out on this large fallen tree at Lake Hartwell. I believe they are painted because have pretty red markings that are not very visible in the photos. The painted turtle is a colorful freshwater turtle found across North America, known for its striking red and yellow markings on its shell. They are known to have a preference for shallow, slow-moving water habitats like ponds and marshes.
She didn’t have a dot behind the eye and did have stripes under her mouth. And it also had a smooth shell edge instead of more sawtooth. That’s what led us to think cooter over yellow slider.
Once again fishing and accidentally caught this turtle. Of course cut the hook and let him go but good photo observation op. Black shell with golden tan marks. His head and legs were blacke with green striping.