#red-eared pond slider

[fatchance]

Untitled.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: red-eared slider

It's turtle time, everybody! Today's topic, the red-eared slider turtle, is one of three subspecies of the pond slider, Trachemys scripta. The other two subspecies, the yellow-bellied slider and Cumberland slider are similar and I will mention them, but this post will largely be about the red-eared slider. Red-ears are the most popular pet turtle and as a direct result of that, is the most invasive turtle in the world.

(Image: a red-eared slider basking on a log. It is a small turtle with a dark green upper shell striped with yellow and brown. Its body is a very dark green, almost black, with yellow stripes. A red stripe runs behind the eyes. End ID)

Trachemys scripta elegans is knows as the red-eared slider because of the red markings on the sides of its head and its ability to quickly slid into the water when threatened. They are freshwater turtles who reach an average of 15 - 20 cm (6-8 in) in carapace (upper shell) length, but can grow over 40 cm (16 in) in good conditions. The shell is composed of bony, keratinous scutes and varies in appearance as the turtle ages. The carapace starts out as a strong green color with variable markings and darkens to a brown color as the turtle ages. The plastron (lower shell) starts out yellow with darker markings and can darken to a red color with age. The turtle's skin is green with yellow stripes and also darkens with age. The shells and skin are always covered with stripes and irregular markings that help camouflage the animal by breaking up its silhouette. They have no external ear canals. Instead, the ear is covered with a disc of cartilage called the tympanum. During winter, they enter a state called brumantion, which is similar to hibernation but requires the turtle to occasionally wake up to eat and breathe.

(Image: a juvenile red-eared slider in a tank. Its shell and skin are a lighter green and still heavily striped. The toes on one foot are spread, showing off the webbing between them. End ID)

It can be difficult to tell male and female red-eared sliders apart, especially when they are juveniles, but there are a few tells. Females usually get larger than males while the males have longer claws used to grab onto the female's shell while mating. Males also have a slightly concave plastron that helps them balance on the female's shell during mating. The biggest tell is the cloaca, which is located on the tail. In males, the cloaca opening is close to the tip of the tail, while in females it is close to the base.

(Image: a red-eared slider seen from the front. It is identifiable as a male by its long claws. End ID)

Red-eared sliders are native to lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams and rivers of the American midwest (which, for those of you who don't know, is on the east side of the country) and northern Mexico. They are omnivorous, feeding on aquatic and shore plants as well as aquatic invertebrates and small fish. They are not social, but tolerate each other's presence as long as there is enough food for everyone. In lean times, they will compete over food. Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but they need to leave the water to warm their bodied by basking in the sun. Pond sliders can often be seen basking on rocks or logs sticking out of the water. They will bask in groups and even climb on top of each other. When they see danger, they will retreat into the water.

(image: a group of 6 red-eared sliders basking on a rock. One of them has partially climbed on top of another. End ID)

Mating season begin in spring and lasts until summer. Males will perform a courtship dance for females. He swims around the female while touching her head with the backs of his claws. This may help direct pheromones toward her. If the female approves, she will sink to the bottom and become receptive to mating. Otherwise, she will chase the male away. Courtship can take almost an hour, but the mating itself is short, lasting no more than 10 minutes. The time between fertilization and egg-laying can vary and females can hold onto sperm to fertilize herself later. Before laying eggs, females often have a change of diet and will spend extra time basking. The female will also spend more time on land, looking for a good spot to build a nest. The nest is a shallow pit dug in sand or loose soil. The female will lay between 2 and 30 eggs in the nest and bury them before leaving. A female can lay up to 5 clutches in a year. Incubation takes between 60 and 112 days. The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings, with warmer soil producing females. The hatchlings use an egg tooth to break out of the egg, which will fall off a few hours after birth. Hatchlings are born with an external yolk sac attached to the bottom of the plastron that will provide nutrition for days after birth. The yolk sac being damaged or jostled enough to introduce air is fatal. The juvenile turtle needs to fully absorb the yolk sac and allow its plastron to fully fuse before entering the water, which takes about 21 days. Juveniles born late enough in the year may brumate in the nest and not emerge until next spring. Red-eared sliders reach sexual maturity at about 5 years of age and a turtle that survives its two years can live up to 30 or 40 years. Red-eared sliders can hybridize with the other pond slider subspecies.

(Image: a pair of juvenile red-eared sliders being held in someone's hand. They are small enough that both together don't take up the full palm. End ID)

Red-eared sliders are classified as least concern by the IUCN, meaning they are not at risk of extinction. They have become popular pets due to being cheap with low maintenance costs and not getting too big. They are the world's most commonly traded reptile thanks to the pet trade, though they are also eaten by some people. Release or escape of pet red-eared sliders had led to them becoming an invasive species in many parts of the world as their fast maturation allows them to outcompete local species. They have also been responsible for spreading diseases and parasites to native turtle populations. Red-eared sliders are also asymptomatic carriers of salmonella and need to be handled with caution. I leave you with a fun fact: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are, in at least one continuity, red-eared sliders

(Image: a pair of red-eared sliders standing in shallow water. their necks are extended and they are looking upwards. End ID)

[orofeaiel]

Duck Photobombing Red-Eared Slider

[admiralgiggles]

Happy Together

[aelyosos]

would u like 2 see two turtle friends ?? 🐢

[entrapdaknation]

While volunteering at a festival at the state park over the weekend, I came across the highlight of my week: someone found a baby turtle in their kayak! She released the baby back into the lake, where it swam away.

(Unfortunately, this is a red eared slider, an invasive species. Still, it's damn cute.)

[mostlyvoid-partiallyturtles]

Assumption for true or false thing!

You like ALL turtles, not just teenage mutant ninja ones.

TRUE

They’re so silly,,,

[drakkonyan]

Maybe it's just late night determination, but I'm feeling REALLY strongly about making PSAs about how the way animals like Slider turtles and goldfish are being treated is the equivalent of putting a puppy in a 20x20cms box and neglecting it until it dies at 5 months, and then saying that's because they "aren't supposed to live that long", and why parents should be worried these are the values their children are learning. Or how you wouldn't give a Rolex to a 5 year old just because it was spelled cheap to you, and so then why are we giving them pets that cost 2000$ to take care of and are practically family hairlooms

Shitttt maybe I'll doooo. I need to contact my local conservation group.

[that-crazy-scorpio-man]

I may very well have already posted this.

[sigitheunicorn]

🐢👀

[lizardtracks]

It’ll Do

Summer Project #2 was supposed to be a turtle pond. Pond should be in quotes because it would be a pond only in the way that a hot tub is a hot spring. Anyway, I designed the “pond” and totaled up the bill of materials. That’s when we realized that Summer Project #2 was going to have to be a pair of tortoise dens. The “pond” cost would push tortoise den construction past hibernation and that can’t happen.

Nicky, on the other hand can’t stay where he is. He has been living in an orange tub far too long. And, like Leigh Anne Tuohy, orange is not in his color wheel. I was scratching my head trying to figure out the workaround when I remembered our horse trough. I know what you are thinking. Of course we have a horse trough. Everyone in the Wild West has horses. Hence, horse troughs. Well smarty pants, we don’t have horses. If we did, Nicky could have been dropped in the trough from the get go. No, the horse trough was dragged here years ago by one of our kids for some future project. And then totally forgotten by me. But the future is now.

So I replaced the trough drain plug; bought a pre-made bio filter from Tetra; picked up a pump and some hose from Home Depot and cobbled together Nicky’s new temporary home. This is a perfect example of why we sometimes need a whack on the noggin. This solution has been staring at me ever since Mavis forced Nicky to stop sharing a pond with her. Necessity really is a mother.

The photo above is the finished product. It’s not much to look at. But it is a cryptodira castle compared to the orange tub. And it earned me high praise from my SO. She looked it over and said: “It’ll do.”

[ayanos-pl]

お茶壺橋の下にいたカメ。捨てられたミシシッピアカミミガメかなあ（7月13日）

[brooklynbridgebirds]

Happy Friday! Here's a Black-crowned Night-Heron and a Red-eared slider in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1 Long Pond.

[admiralgiggles]

[herpsandbirds]

I see more turtles than usual, is it turtles day??

Every day is turtle day when you love turtles!!!

Here this is for you...

Suwannee Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis), family Chelydridae, endemic to the Suwanee River Basin in the SE United States

This species was once considered to be a population of the Alligator Snapping Turtle, M. temminckii, but was separated into a separate species in 2014.

photograph by Chris Coppola

Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius), family Testudinidae, found in savannahs and forest edges around the Amazon Basin of South America

photograph by Warren Farnell 

Pacific or Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata), family Emydidae, California

Vulnerable, due to habitat destruction/degradation and introduction of invasive species (like the Red-eared Slider).

This species was extirpated from Canada. It once ranged into British Colombia.

This is the only species of NATIVE freshwater turtle still found in California. (Other species have been introduced.)

photograph by Yathin S Krishnappa 

[fishsticksloser]

Can i request rottmnt x female reader (separately) hc of reader who have a pet male turtle from the same type as their boyfriend and how the turtles (separately) react to it? Will they be proud, amazed or straight up jealous?

Pet Turtle

RotTMNT x gn!reader

Warnings: jealous turtles, fluff, aged up, swearing

A/N: Thank you for your 3 requests after I opened my requests again <3 I'm so happy! Do you like the names I gave the pet turtles :] Also in captivity alligator snapping turtles have been known to live up to 70 years!??? Does that mean Raph can live to be far over 100? How does that work?

Donnie

You had someone you wanted him to meet

So he was panicking, of course

Your parents? Your best friend?

So when he showed up to your apartment, he looked shaken

You looked him to your bedroom, which he's never been in

He sees a giant glass box with water and plants inside

This box took over an entire wall (Spiny Softshells get big)

"This... is Plato."

"Plato?"

He goes up to the box and sees a Spiny Softshell, basking under the heat lamp

"You have a pet turtle? Not just any turtle, but a Spiny Softshell... Like me?"

"Yeah, he's been my pet for... 15 years."

He's very confused

Why do you have a pet?

Why are you dating a humanoid version of your 15 year old pet?

"I...... What the fuck?"

He puts his hand in the enclosure and the softshell hisses, snapping at his hand

"Careful, Dee. He's aggressive."

"15? I've got 8 years on this guy."

Leo

"Hey, Leo? Can you come here?"

Leo came to your bedroom, stopping at the door and knocking

He's never been in your room, so he didn't want to overstep

"Come in."

He stepped inside and saw you feeding your pet

He didn't know you had a pet so he froze

"You can come closer, he doesn't bite... Well... He does sometimes..."

Leo came closer, seeing a turtle in your hand

"You have a pet turtle?"

"Yes, this is Apollo. My red eared slider."

"You've got to be kidding me..."

He watched as you pet Apollo's head, the turtle rubbing his face against your hand

"Been with me for 15 years."

15 years? That's 13 more years than he's had with you.

This was an outrage

Hold on... Why is he jealous of a turtle?

He's your man, your #1.

Still he couldn't shake his jealousy, watching you talk and pet Apollo

Mikey

You asked Mikey to come over

You told him that you wanted him to meet your pet

He was excited

Did you have a dog? Cat? Bird?

He was shocked to see a tank with water and plants

He didn't think of you as a reptile or amphibian person

You leaned over and picked up whatever was in the tank

"This is Monet."

"A box turtle?"

He held his hands out, asking to hold him

"Wow... He's pretty."

He really didn't know what to say

The turtle was very beautiful

You placed the turtle in his hands and he froze

"Are you okay, Mike?"

"He's just like me!"

Mikey looked up and smiled widely

He absolutely loves Monet

He comes over when you're not home sometimes to hang out with Monet

Then he learned Monet was 15

Blown away that you've had him for so long and didn't tell him

Raph

He was meeting someone important to you

He was dressed up, anxious about meeting whoever it was

He got to your place and you showed him to this pond outside your house

"What are we doing out here?"

"Raph, I'd like you to meet Popeye."

He looked where you were pointing and saw an alligator snapping turtle

He wasn't as big as he's heard they get, maybe half the size

"You have a turtle?"

"I've had him for 15 years."

He knelt down and Popeye rushes him

"Raph!"

You knew that Raph could take care of himself

But Alligator Snapping Turtles are very aggressive

Popeye tried biting Raph, but didn't have much luck

His arms were far wider than 5 inches (which is how wide they can open their mouths)

So it barely managed to pinch him

Raph laughed as Popeye continued to try and get a good hold

He had a feeling they'd be good friends