Hi Ellen,

Tortoises are land turtles and are notably different from water
turtles -- they lack webbed feet and generally have a higher, more
articulated/scupted top shell. There are no indigenous land turtles
in Washington State, so if it's a tortoise, it's not local. Water
turtles will sometimes migrate over land. Of the water turtles I see
around Western Washington, only the Pacific Pond Turtle is
indigenous. It is notably all black. The other water turtles, all
invasive, are the Western Painted Turtle, the Red-Eared Slided, and
the Soft-Shelled Turtle (which I've seen in Lake Washington and Lake
Sammamish). None are notably brown, but perhaps this one was dirty,
or shedding its outer layer of shell, which could make it look
duskier. You can find photos of all these online.

Marc Hoffman
Kirkland, WA 98033

At 10:13 AM 7/22/2007, you wrote:

>Hi, Tweets!
>
>Some neighbors found a turtle/tortoise Saturday, about 3 blocks east
>of Seattle Audubon, on NE 82nd Street. I've mailed all the
>neighbors, and nobody is missing a pet.
>
>It's about five inches long and brownish-green or greenish-brown.
>What the heck is it doing here, how did it get here, and where
>should it be instead? What *is* it?
>
>Thanks for any help you might lend.
>
>Ellen Blackstone, Seattle