samrbishop97
Yellow Bellied Slider
This picture was taken on March 29th outside of Friday Hall. On our way to ecology lab, we almost stepped on this baby yellow bellied slider that was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk at the front entrance of Friday Hall. The yellow bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) is a subspecies of pond slider that can be found in coastal plains and piedmont regions of the southeastern US extending from Florida to southern Virginia. Yellow bellied sliders thrive in shallow water environments such as floodplain marshes, permanent ponds, and seasonal wetlands such as Carolina bays. This species of turtle can be spotted basking in the sun around the ponds on campus, but this baby was a great distance away from the ponds near the end of chancellors. More than likely, this little guy was living in the wetland near the greenhouse outside of Friday Hall or one of the Carolina Bays that surround Friday Hall. Due to their uniquely patterned carapace, especially during the juvenile stage, yellow bellied sliders are popular pets. As is common with many "exotic" pets though, they are released into ponds, lakes, and waterways by owners who no longer wish to take care of them. Once they become a non-indigenous introduced species, they can affect native turtle populations by competing for food and basking space. In addition, they will interbreed with native turtle populations compromising the genetic integrity of the native species, leading to hybridization. It is important for anyone who wishes to own an exotic pet to understand the ecological impacts their "pets" can cause when introduced into environments where they do not naturally occur.
Yellow Bellied Slider
This picture was taken on March 29th outside of Friday Hall. On our way to ecology lab, we almost stepped on this baby yellow bellied slider that was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk at the front entrance of Friday Hall. The yellow bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) is a subspecies of pond slider that can be found in coastal plains and piedmont regions of the southeastern US extending from Florida to southern Virginia. Yellow bellied sliders thrive in shallow water environments such as floodplain marshes, permanent ponds, and seasonal wetlands such as Carolina bays. This species of turtle can be spotted basking in the sun around the ponds on campus, but this baby was a great distance away from the ponds near the end of chancellors. More than likely, this little guy was living in the wetland near the greenhouse outside of Friday Hall or one of the Carolina Bays that surround Friday Hall. Due to their uniquely patterned carapace, especially during the juvenile stage, yellow bellied sliders are popular pets. As is common with many "exotic" pets though, they are released into ponds, lakes, and waterways by owners who no longer wish to take care of them. Once they become a non-indigenous introduced species, they can affect native turtle populations by competing for food and basking space. In addition, they will interbreed with native turtle populations compromising the genetic integrity of the native species, leading to hybridization. It is important for anyone who wishes to own an exotic pet to understand the ecological impacts their "pets" can cause when introduced into environments where they do not naturally occur.