calif. turtle

Question
we live in riverside county and we found a small turtle with yellow stripes do you know what kind he might be?

Answer
Hi Troylynn,

There's no way for me to tell you what species of turtle it is based on your description, since it could be one of a number of species.  Can you post a very clear picture from the side?  Alternatively, you can look through the gallery here and see if any look the same:  http://chelonia.org/byspecies.htm  There is only one native species of aquatic turtles in California, the Western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), so look at those pictures first.  If the turtle has a red stripe on the sides of its head, it's a red-eared slider (most common pet turtle and also an invasive species in CA).  I'd look at pictures of sliders next (Trachemys species).  Let me know what you find out, or post that picture and I'll try to help.