365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, May 2, 2016
A Three Turtle Day
Day 202: I'm going to be quoting a lot from the Washington Herp Atlas here because I know little or nothing about herps. Initially, I was excited about having seen turtles while I was out in the kayak today, but in researching the exact species, I discovered that this is a non-native Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta), easily identified by the red patch just behind the eye. The males have long claws, and in fact of the three specimens I photographed, two were male. I believe the one in this photo is female.
Native to the eastern part of the country, Pond Sliders probably got their toehold in Washington when someone released pet turtles into the wild or they escaped captivity. They were commonly available in pet stores until 1975 when concern over children contracting salmonella stopped their sale. That said, the Herp Atlas database says that the species may be unsuited to our climate because notable die-offs involving large numbers of Trachemys have occurred in some areas. Although these turtles do compete with native species, there is no plan in place currently to remove them from Washington waters.
I think I need to get up on the other side of the bed. I seem to be on a binge of finding things I wish I hadn't found.
Labels:
herps,
kayaking,
Lake St. Clair,
non-native species,
Pond Slider,
Trachemys scripta,
turtle
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