Big Bend Slider (Trachemys gaigeae) is a small (22 cm carapace length) freshwater turtle that is patchily distributed in rivers and ponds in New Mexico, southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico. In New Mexico, they are only found at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Elephant Butte Reservoir, and the river reach from Elephant Butte dam downstream to the upper end of Caballo Reservoir. They are often observed basking on banks, logs, vegetation mats, or at the surface of the water.