Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta) — species profile (taxonomy, geographic range, habitat, physical description, behavior, wild diet, reproduction, lifespan)
Authoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.
Geographic Range
- Slider turtles, Trachemys scripta , are native to the southeastern and central United States and northern Mexico.
- Yellow-bellied sliders, Trachemys scripta scripta , range from the southern portion of Virginia south to the northern border of Florida.
- Cumberland sliders, Trachemys scripta troostii , range from southwestern Virginia to Alabama.
- Cumberland sliders are found west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Habitat
- Slider turtles are semiaquatic animals that live in freshwater and brackish environments.
- They can be found in waterbodies that hold water year-round, like ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, lagoons, and streams.
- They also can live in vernal/seasonal farm ponds.
- Slider turtles are found in shallow, slow-moving water that has diverse vegetation and nearby places to bask.
Physical Description
- Slider turtles range from 10-29 cm in length and exhibit sexual dimorphism; females tend to be larger than males.
- Females can reach a mass of up to 3,200 grams.
- Average female shell length in adulthood is 25.4 cm.
- Female slider turtles are considered adults when they are 15-20 cm in length and 5-8 years old.
Behavior
- Slider turtles spend their time walking, swimming, grazing, foraging, and basking.
- They are most active during warm months and on sunny days during cold months.
- Sliders are gregarious animals, and they are often found in large numbers.
- They have webbed toes that are adapted for swimming, and they can often be seen foraging for aquatic prey and floating with their heads just above the water.
- They are also efficient at walking on dry ground as well as shallow areas along the banks of water sources.
Food Habits (Wild Diet)
- Juvenile slider turtles are mostly carnivorous.
- They feed on insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, larvae, spiders, crayfish, tadpoles, fish, clams, freshwater sponges, snails, slugs, small amphibians, and other reptiles.
- They occasionally consume the flesh of dead animals.
- Juvenile slider turtles need to eat other animals because they require more nutrients than they are able to digest from plants.
- This is potentially due to the time-consuming fermentation process in their guts during digestion.
Reproduction
- Slider turtles exhibit polygynandrous mating behavior.
- Courtship behavior involves biting, chasing, and foreclaw displays.
- This behavior can be initiated and reciprocated by either sex, but male initiation is most common.
- Males will frequently chase females and make attempts to bite their limbs and tails.
Development
- Slider turtles lay spherical eggs with flexible shells that allow for the absorption of water inside to the developing hatchling.
- Egg mass and dimensions are related to both water availability within the nest and the size of the laying female.
- Overly dry conditions can lead to very small hatchlings with decreased mobility and overall fitness.
Ecosystem Roles
- Like many other reptiles, slider turtles are subject to parasitic infection.
- By examining the fecal material of multiple sliders, numerous parasitic species of leeches, spiny-headed worms, flukes, roundworms, and alveolates have been identified.
- Parasitic leeches include Helobdella papillata , Placobdella parasitica , Placpbdella multilineata , and some in the famiy Glossiphoniidae.
- Spiny-headed worms parasites are Neoechinorhynchus chrysemydis , Neoechinorhynchus emyditoides , Neoechinorhynchus pseudemydis , and Neoechinorhynchus stunkardi .
Predation
- Adult and juvenile slider turtles are vulnerable to reptilian predators including many snakes and American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ).
- Bird predators include various wading birds and crows in the genus Corvus .
- Predatory fish include gar and catfish.
Conservation Status
- Slider turtles are listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.
- They do not have any special statuses on US government lists.
- Slider turtles are a prolific invasive species, and there is more concern surrounding their presence in many locations rather than their threatened status.
Lifespan
- Captive sliders can live up to 41.3 years.