However, if she’s into him, she will sink to the bottom of the water for mating. ![]() If the female turtle is not into her suitor, she might get aggressive and send him on his way. They also wave them around the female’s head during courtship, the thought being that this moves pheromones in her direction. Claws allow them to hold on to the female. Males have longer tails and longer claws on their front feet, claws which they make use of during mating which happens underwater. The plastron (bottom shell portion) on females is flat, and for males it is somewhat concave. Females are typically larger, with the carapace (the upper portion of a turtle’s shell) reaching up to 12 inches in length. Young turtles of both sexes look the same, but as they reach sexual maturity, they will look different. About 21 days after hatching, the turtle will enter the water for the first time. The new turtle uses an “egg-tooth” to break from its egg, but may stay inside its egg shell for a few days, living on nutrients provided by the yolk sac that will eventually be absorbed by the young turtle. Only males are produced when incubating temperatures are between 72 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s during this time the sex of the turtles-to-be is determined. Using her hind legs, she’ll dig a hole and lay eggs there that will incubate from anywhere from 59-112 days. LIFE CYCLEĪfter mating, a female turtle will wander from the pond or shallow lake to find a suitable place to lay her eggs. In the state of Texas, red-eared sliders are native, however, and exist through most of the state with the exception of the west. They also can carry diseases which can wipe out native populations. They are typically larger, more aggressive, and produce more offspring. As an invasive species, red-eared sliders can outcompete native turtles for food, nesting, and basking sites. (United States Geological Survey 2014 )īut what is a parent to do when their child outgrows the turtle, or find out turtles aren’t soft and cuddly like Snowball or Spot? The local lake or park pond might seem like a good alternative to euthanizing the pet, but this well-intended relocation has had unintended consequences. This pop culture representation caused a surge in popularity of the turtle as a pet. These four sewer-dwelling New York reptiles battling evil with ninjustu are actually red-eared sliders, according to the second volume of the comics, and the 19 films. No, not the Italian Renaissance artists, but characters from the widely-popular comic book and movie franchise known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. By the 1950s, millions of red-eared sliders were being farmed and shipped for the pet trade, both here and abroad.Įnter Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. They were small, cheap, cute, and became popular pets. In the 1900s, red-eared sliders were captured in the wild to be sold in dime stores and markets. ![]() How did these turtles almost take over the planet? Well-meaning but irresponsible pet owners. ![]() They’ve become such a problem that they have been deemed an invasive species by many countries and US states. However, due to their extreme popularity as pets, they can actually be observed in every continent except Antarctica. Their native habitat covers the midwestern states, as far south as northeastern Mexico, into eastern New Mexico, and then Virginia in the east. They used to be called “Troost’s turtle,” in honor of American-Dutch herpetologist Gerard Troost (1776-1850). What about “slider?” This isn’t because they kind of resemble those tiny trendy hamburgers, but because they “slide” off logs or rocks into water when they are startled. The “red” comes from the red stripe behind their eyes. ![]() These campus charmers are turtles commonly known as “red-eared sliders,” or Trachemys scripta elegans. Sometimes piled on top of each other like bricks, feet extended, much to the delight of students and visitors to the UT turtle pond.
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