What's a red eared slider?

Answer 1

I was wondering the same thing after that person's question! I can't wait to see if somebody knows!


It's a turtle! I'll be.....LOL

Answer 2

The water turtles are divided up into many genera. In the United States, these include the cooters, painted turtles, map turtles, and sliders.

Sliders got their name from their habit of sliding off logs and other basking sites at the first signs of trouble. Sliders share certain characteristics- yellow bellies with green 'scribbles' on them, dark green shells with yellow and red patterns as young, becoming dark green as adults, and green skin with yellow striping.

Red-ears have the distinctive red blotches just behind their eyes. A near relative is the Yellow-belly which looks like a Red-ear without the red blotch.

These became popular pets since they could be collected by the hundreds of thousands at a time from waste water settling ponds (which is also why they tended to have Salmonella).

Sadly, the care we were told to use in the 60's and 70's was totally wrong. Small ponds, no light or heat, bad food- nost of the turtles died after only a few months.

Answer 3

Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Chrysemys
Species: scripta elegans

Description:
The red-eared slider, also known as the Florida turtle, is dark green with yellow lines on its carapace, legs and face. They also have distinctive red patches on both sides of the head. The plastron is primarily yellow with a dark split on each scute. Their lower jaw is rounded and the toes on the hind legs are webbed. Males have longer claws on their front legs than females do.
Size:
They reach 3 to 10 inches in length.
Life Span:
In the wild, they can live about 20 years. In captivity, they have been known to live up to 40 years.
Diet:
In the wild: plant matter, arthropods, small vertebrates, dead and decaying matter
At the Zoo: turtle pellets, floating sticks, crickets, mealworms, kale, apple and carrot.
Geographic Range:
Originally, the red-eared slider was found in the U.S. (the Mississippi valley from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico). Now, they have been found as far north as Canada and in some places in Europe.
Habitat:
They inhabit freshwater systems like lakes, streams, swamps, ponds and rivers. They seem to prefer quiet waters of marshes, sluggish rivers and ponds.
Reproduction:
Females lay their eggs in late April or early May. When ready, they locate a nest site close to the water. This site is usually an open area with damp soil. She lays 5 to 20 eggs in a single nest. The eggs hatch after 2 to 2 ½ months.
Special Adaptations:
Males have longer claws on their front legs, which are used during mating. The hind feet are webbed for swimming.
Behavior:
The red-eared slider is primarily diurnal. An interesting behavior that the sliders demonstrate is called neustophagia. This is where the turtle skims the water’s surface with its lower jaw. The turtle ingests small floating food particles when it does this and stores these in its pharynx. Then the turtle closes its mouth and forces water out through the nostrils. The remaining food particles are then swallowed. During the winter, sliders will hibernate underwater by burying themselves in the sediment or mud. Some will hibernate near the water-line in muskrat burrows or hollow stumps.
Current Status:
The red-eared slider is a popular pet, although people have released them into the wild after they no longer wanted the turtles. This can cause problems with local ecology, since the red-eared slider will compete with native wildlife. In Europe, the red-eared slider has competed so intensely with other species that some of them are now in danger of extinction.

Answer 4

Red eared slider is a fresh water turtle.
for more information you can go to
www.redearslider.com

Answer 5

A Fresh-water turtle.

Answer 6

it's a turtle... it lives in the water but comes out to bask in heat. it has little red marks behind it's eyes (where an ear would be)

Answer 7

Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Chrysemys
Species: scripta elegans

Answer 8

a Fresh water turtle that can grow quite big under the right circumstances.

Answer 9

a fresh water turtle. Normally you can get them at fish stores etc. They are suseptible to disease so be careful.

Answer 10

A turtle.