Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
![[Pond Slider]](/images/14ds.jpg)
Description
Physical
A medium sized turtle, adults can reach sizes nearing a foot in length, though such monster specimens are not common. The carapace is noticeably more arched than in the Western Pond Turtle.
Color and Pattern
The carapace is typically green with yellow lines within the vertebral and costal shields. The marginal shields are typically yellow on the outside edge.
Head and limbs are an olive green with irregular yellow striping. The head usually has a distinctive red blotch behind the eye. The blotch is sometimes mistakenly referred to as an ear. The blotch can also be yellow, though it is far more commonly red.
Older adults sometimes start to exhibit melanism. These adults become very dark, and the yellow striping and red blotch can completely disappear making the specimen difficult to identify (Conant and Collins 1991 pg 65).
Sexual Dimorphism
Males have longer claws on front feet and are more likely to become melanistic.
Habitat
Diet
Young sliders feed on a variety of insects, small amphibians and fish, and aquatic vegetation. As they grow older, they shift towards a predominantly vegetarian diet.
Highly aquatic, they are rarely seen far from water. They prefer ponds, small lakes, and slow moving streams with a muddy bottom and lots of aquatic vegetation.
Distribution Range
Museum records taken from following institution: CAS Herps.
Not native to Shasta County. This turtle is commonly sold in pet stores, and then often released into the wild when it becomes too large for the owner. While the species is commonly seen in the wild here, most specimens are released pets. They are most likely to be found in urban areas, most Shasta County sightings are in the Sacramento River valley from Redding and southward. There reportedly are a fair number of them in the Cottonwood Creek drainage, where they might be sustainably reproducing.
Reproduction and Young
Sustainable breeding has not been documented in Shasta County. They lay 1-3 clutches of 2-25 eggs from April to July (Stebbins 2003 pg 252).
Taxonomy
The Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta) was originally described in 1792 by Thunberg in Schoepff as Testudo scripta.
The subspecies that is most common in the pet trade and thus most likely to be found in our area is the Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). However, other subspecies do find their way into the pet trade and could also be released into the wild.
The Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) was originally described in 1838 by Weid as Emys elegans.
Pronunciation
The assumed IPA pronunciation of this species: /trɑ ˈkɛm is/ /ˈskrɪpt ɑ/
Taxonomic Etymology
scripta is from the Latin scripta which means written or marked. It may be a reference to carapace markings (Beltz 2006).
elegans is from the Latin ēlegāns and indicates fine or elegant. It may be a reference to the beautiful red stripe behind the eye (Beltz 2006).
Taxonomy Notes
The genus Trachemys was first described by Agassiz in 1857 erroniously referring to Testudo scabra (Linnaeus 1758) for the type species. What he described was actually Trachemys scripta. The taxon Testudo scabra is now considered to be nomen dubium and thus invalid as a type species. In 1929 Lindholm designated Emys troostii (Holbrook 1836) as the type species for the genus. Emys troostii is currently considered to be a synonym of Trachemys scripta troostii (Rhodin and Carr 2009 pg 7-8).
In 1889 this species was placed in the genus Chrysemys (Boulenger 1889 pg 77). Some currently available literature may still refer to this species as Chrysemys scripta though it appears to be rare.
I am not sure when the genus Pseudemys was first suggested for this species, but some authors were clearly using it as early as 1938 (Carr, Jr. 1938). Many currently available field guides refer to this species as Pseudemys scripta.
At some point in the 80s, the use of Pseudemys dropped off and authors started using the previously suggested genus Trachemys. The earliest use in the 80s that I have been able to dig up a reference for is in the “Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World” self published by Dr. John B. Iverson.
The phylogenetic relationships of the family Emydidae are not yet fully resolved. However, it appears that the genus Trachemys is not going anywhere. Since the types species is from the Trachemys scripta complex, I highly suspect the taxonomic nomenclature for the introduced subspecies in our area will not change (knocks on wood).
Additional Information
Notes
The Pond Slider is a potential invasive species. It does not seem to be breeding in Shasta County in large numbers but probable released pets have been seen in multiple locations.
They may be breeding in the Cottonwood Creek drainage, and there is a pond in Redding where I have seen a young specimen that looked too small to have legally been in the pet trade (under four inches). However, despite technically being illegal to sell, turtles under 4 inches are sold in pet stores all the time, so that sighting does not necessarily mean it was bred there.
This species is one of the most common aquatic turtles in the pet trade, and it is commonly released when it grows too large for the keeper. Some cultures also habe a tradition of releasing a turtle or amphibian one a birthday, and some radical animal rights activists have been caught buying and releasing turtles intended for human consumption. These radical animal rights groups apparently lack the intelligence to think about the rights of native wildlife and are unable to figure out how devestating these exotic releases can be on the native wildlife, both through disease transmission and competition should the non native species become established.
If they start to breed in sustainable quantities, they pose a threat to the Western Pond Turtle populations they share habitat with.
Images
Unless otherwise noted, all images are of wild specimens in Shasta County.
Please be kind, do not hotlink images and do not use images without permission of the copyright owner.
![[Pond Slider]](/images/14sm.jpg)
![[Pond Slider]](/images/81sm.jpg)
©Michael A. Peters
The Red-eared Slider is on the right. A Northwestern Pond is on the left. Note the different carapace shape. Pond adjacent to the Sacramento River Trail near the Sun Dial Bridge. Redding, CA
![[Pond Slider]](/images/79sm.jpg)
©Michael A. Peters
Several Pond Sliders and a single Western Pond Turtle (second from the right) on an artificial platform. Pond adjacent to Sacramento River Trail near Sun Dial Bridge. Redding, CA
![[Pond Slider]](/images/80sm.jpg)
©Michael A. Peters
This one is difficult to identify due to the aquatic plant matter. I suspect it is a Pond Slider but it could be a Western Pond Turtle. Pond adjacent to Sacramento River Trail near Sun Dial Bridge. Redding, CA
![[Pond Slider]](/images/143sm.jpg)
©Michael A. Peters
Sometimes Pond Slider (particularly males) start to turn melanistic as they age. Contra Costa County, CA
Habitat Shots
Unless otherwise noted, these habitat shots are from within Shasta County where this species is known to occur.
There currently are no images to display.
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