The red-eared slider: An invasive turtle species.

The western painted turtle is native to British Columbia and is found at irregular intervals in freshwater bodies throughout the southern half of the province.  It was not the only native species of turtle present, as the Pacific pond turtle used to exist in western waters as well.  That species is extinct now in Canada; its demise very possibly attributable to human activities.  One of the greatest threats to native populations of any variety is the introduction of foreign species that out-compete and/or are aggressive towards them.  Such organisms are called invasive species; the red-eared slider is one such example.

The red-eared slider is a freshwater turtle found in the Mississippi basin of the southern US.  Robust and easily bred, they have become the foremost choice for pet terrapins throughout the world.  Considered cute by many, the young can be reared with little effort.  They eat almost anything, including scavenging, and grow quickly.  This is when they become a problem for the young herptologist, as they can grow up to twelve inches and can live to the ripe old age of 30 in captivity.  They are often mercilessly released in a nearby aquatic ecosystem to stem the guilt of previous owners and because, quite frankly, it is easy to do so.  

In the wild, the red-eared slider quickly adapts to its new environment.  They overwinter with ease, burrowing into the bottom of ponds and using cloacal respiration (butt-breathing) to facilitate gas exchange.  They breed easily and I have seen them crawl ashore, dig a pit, and deposit and then cover ten to thirty eggs.  They will repeat this on a monthly basis and can lay up to 150 eggs in a single year.  Western painted turtles lay a maximum of eleven eggs a year in a single clutch.  You can see where this will go in a short period of time; western painted turtles will simply be out-bred.

I was visiting Maple Ridge in south-western BC recently and visited one of my favourite haunts.  Jerry Selinas park hosts a small but productive pond.  As I was photographing birds I came upon some turtles that were sunbathing.  It was then that I noticed they were not of the painted variety but rather the invasive red-eared variety.  There were three of them, all adults, and I had to wonder how many more there were.  Once again human capacity for ecological destruction has raised its head and shown how ignorance can lead to habitat destruction.

If you come across an invasive species, such as the red-eared slider, you can contact the Invasive Species Center for Canada here.  You can report your findings directly to this site.  You will have to sign up and then sign in to report.  Photographs can be attached.  Together we can make a difference.

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