General Description: Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) are dark colored pond turtles with a domed shell and a bright red ear-patch. The skin in the face and legs are heavily streaked with yellow.
Taxonomy: Pond Sliders (Emydidae).
Technical Description: Shell size to 14 inches. Shell black with faint yellow lines that disappear with age. Legs and neck streaked with yellow. Red patch behind the eye (ear patch). Underside of shell yellow with symmetrical dark blotches. Sawtooth margin on rear of carapace. Shell of young turtles is green with yellow streaks.
Diet: Preys on crayfish, aquatic insects, worms, tadpoles, and hopefully non-native aquarium fish.
Habitat: Aquatic habitats such as ponds and slow-moving rivers with aquatic vegetation. Rarely leaves the water, choosing to bask on logs and floating vegetation. |