what is the difference between a red eared slider and a yellow bellied slider

Red-eared sliders and yellow-bellied sliders are closely related turtles, but there are a couple of key ways to tell them apart:

Head markings:

• Red-eared slider: This turtle has the namesake red stripe behind and above the ear, sometimes described as a red “ear” mark.
• Yellow-bellied slider: This turtle has a large yellow patch behind the eye that connects to a yellow neck stripe, forming a more complete yellow marking on the side of the head.