NON-NATIVE TURTLES

Don’t mistake non-native turtles for natives!

SNAPPING TURTLE

- Chelydra serpentina -

Photo courtesy MJ Baker/Wikimedia Commons

:: Description

• Oval shell widens toward the back where it is strongly serrated
• Shell color varies from tan/brown to olive to almost black
• Bottom shell (plastron) yellowish, small and cross shaped
• Top of tail has a series of large triangular plates
• Adult shell length about 8-14 inches long and weighs 10-35 lbs

:: Habitat

• Mainly aquatic
• Inhabits ponds, lakes, reservoirs, swamps, streams and rivers
• In coast areas they are known to inhabit saltwater marshes

::Current distribution

• Native distribution includes the Rockies east to the Atlantic Ocean and from southern Canada to Mexico
• Non-native distribution includes the Rockies west to the Pacific Ocean

:: Feeding

• Consume fish, snails, worms, ducks, small mammals and other turtles
• Consume a variety of vegetation

::Ecology

• Active at dusk, night and dawn
• Males are territorial and will fight each other
• Aggressive only when threatened on land
• Sometimes basks at the water surface
• Basking in the sun is an important behavior and is crucial for thermal regulation, digestion and other life requirements

:: Nesting

• Females dig nests in spring to early summer in open fields, gravel beds, pond and lake margins and beaches
• Deposits about 20-30 eggs in the nest
• Lays ping-pong ball shaped eggs about 1 inch in diameter

:: Impact

• Prey on native turtles
• Compete with native turtles for food, basking and nesting sites, and covering habitat
• Introduce parasites and diseases that wild populations have no immunity for

RED-EARED SLIDER

- Trachemys scripta elegans -

Photo courtesy Trisha M Shears/Wikimedia Commons

:: Description

• Greenish grey head with a bright red patch just behind each eye
• Top shell dark colored with a black and yellow line pattern
• Bottom shell yellow and smooth
• Yellow stripes along neck and legS

:: Habitat

• Lives in areas with a calm, warm water source, with lots of aquatic vegetation
• Found in ponds, lakes, creeks, marshes and streams
• Thrives in warm climates, especially the southern United States

::Current distribution

• Native populations are found around the Mississippi River down to the Gulf of Mexico
• Due to their popularity as a pet, they have been introduced throughout the United States and the world

:: Feeding

• Young turtles feed on insects and small fish
• Adults feed mainly on aquatic plants

::Ecology

• Requires logs and rocks to bask on
• Does not stray too far from a water source unless searching for a new one
• Average lifespan about 20 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity

:: Nesting

• Males reach sexual maturity around 4 inches in shell length
• Females reach sexual maturity around 5 inches in shell length
• Females nest on land

:: Impact

• Red-eared sliders use nesting sites similar to native turtles. Since they lay their eggs a month earlier than native turtles, they attract predators to nesting sites
• Compete with native turtles for food, basking and nesting sites, and covering habitat
• Introduce parasites and diseases that wild populations have no immunity for