<P> To thrive, painted turtles need fresh waters with soft bottoms, basking sites, and aquatic vegetation . They find their homes in shallow waters with slow - moving currents, such as creeks, marshes, ponds, and the shores of lakes . The subspecies have evolved different habitat preferences . </P> <Ul> <Li> The eastern painted turtle is very aquatic, leaving the immediate vicinity of its water body only when forced by drought to migrate . Along the Atlantic, painted turtles have appeared in brackish waters . </Li> <Li> The midland and southern painted turtles seek especially quiet waters, usually shores and coves . They favor shallows that contain dense vegetation and have an unusual toleration of pollution . </Li> <Li> The western painted turtle lives in streams and lakes, similar to the other painted turtles, but also inhabits pasture ponds and roadside pools . It is found as high as 1,800 m (5,900 ft). </Li> </Ul> <Li> The eastern painted turtle is very aquatic, leaving the immediate vicinity of its water body only when forced by drought to migrate . Along the Atlantic, painted turtles have appeared in brackish waters . </Li> <Li> The midland and southern painted turtles seek especially quiet waters, usually shores and coves . They favor shallows that contain dense vegetation and have an unusual toleration of pollution . </Li>

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