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Yellow-bellied slider? |
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Nik
New Member Joined: 27 May 2019 Location: Essex/ Herts Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Posted: 27 May 2019 at 8:49am |
Hi folks,
Just come across this website - looks great and I've signed up! Please see attached photo of a turtle that's been living in a pond near me for about a year now. I asked the tutor of a course I was on recently and he says it's probably a yellow- bellied slider. Does that look right? He also said that it's too cold in the UK (currently) for their eggs to hatch, but are they likely to be any danger to other amphibians in the pond? Hope not because she's a favourite of joggers and dog-walkers who pass by the pond! Thanks, Nik |
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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Hello and welcome Nik
Yes, with it's boldly yellow-striped head lacking the horizontal bright red stripe behind the eye (as worn by the very closely related Red-eared Terrapin Trachemys scripta elegans), this looks like Yellow-bellied Slider Trachemys scripta scripta to me. After the Red-eared, this was probably the terrapin most frequently imported for the pet trade (and consequently released into 'the wild' by owners who'd outgrown them). They are omnivorous opportunists, consuming a range of plant material, plus carrion, tadpoles, invertebrates etc. Any piscine or amphibian individuals that stray within range of that sharp, snapping beak might also wish they hadn't. In small ponds where goldfish are also present, it's not uncommon to see a few with sections of fin missing. Terrapins are apparently never 'off guard'. I remember watching one that had been basking completely motionless on a rock for some time in a seemingly sleepy, disinterested manner. When it caught sight of a nearby Tegenaria house spider (presumably out of the corner of it's eye), the terrapin suddenly sprang to life, twisting it's body round and snapping voraciously before dragging it's prey down into the water by the legs. It reminded me of crocodile behaviour. Cheers |
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