Red-eared Slider

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Trachemys scripta elegans

DESCRIPTION

The Red-eared Slider has a slight ridge, or keel, running down the center of the upper shell. There is usually a wide red stripe on either side of the head, behind the eyes, but this can fade with age.

RANGE

Red-eared Slider pets have been released into the wild in southern BC, southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Sliders are now widespread around Vancouver and Victoria in BC and in the Toronto area of Ontario.

HABITAT

Red-eared Sliders can exist in a wide range of waterbodies. They have been released into urban and suburban ponds, lakes, rivers and wetlands. They have even been found in some protected areas in Canada. Females nest in open areas in sand, soil, or gravel. Red-eared Sliders hibernate under water on the bottom of waterbodies.

DIET

BEHAVIOUR

undefined

PRIMARY ECOSYSTEM ROLES