Red-eared Slider Turtle

Context

The presence of the red-eared slider turtle, an invasive species, in the public water bodies of Kerala has become a cause for concern.

The major concern is as it not only destroys the aqua ecosystem (extinction of native species) but also carries a bacteria which is harmful to the human body.

India is home to 29 freshwater turtles and tortoise species of the 356 turtle species recognised worldwide and around 80 per cent of them are threatened.
In India, keeping indigenous turtles as pets is prohibited under the wildlife protection act.

But the foreign breeds are not restricted and are kept as pets in many families across India.

The red-eared slider is a freshwater turtle with a distinctive red strip behind each ear.
The red-eared sliders are native to south-eastern USA and Mexico, but have found their way across the globe including India through trade of exotic animals.
Habitat: They can tolerate a wide range of habitats and are sometimes found in estuaries and coastal wetlands with brackish water.

They can also tolerate a range of water quality and accept high levels of organic pollutants such as effluent and inorganic pollutants.

Red-eared slider turtles are classified as controlled pest animals under the Victorian Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994.
Scientific Name: Trachemys scripta elegans.
Threat to ecosystem: The red-eared slider turtles are considered a major threat to native turtle specials, as they mature fast, grow larger, and produce more offspring, and are very aggressive. They can out-compete native turtles for food, nestling, and basking sites.

They can also transfer diseases and parasites to native reptile species.
The Red-Eared Slider Turtle is considered to be one of the world’s worst invasive species.

They have a broad red or orange stripe behind each eye with narrow yellow stripes marking the rest of the black body, neck, legs and tail.
They have distinctive long claws on their front and hind legs where claws are longer and more prominent in males than females.
They retract their head straight back into their shell when threatened. Native turtles tuck their neck to one side underneath the shell.