From the Not So Deep - Red-eared Slider

I try and take images of everything underwater, no matter the depth, type of water or how murky it might be.

One of the more unique inhabitants that reside around Southern Vancouver Island is the Red-eared Slider, which is a turtle. Red-eared Sliders, Trachemys scripta are an introduced species in B.C. Their red “ear” patch, located just behind the eye, distinguishes them from other similarly sized turtles such as the Western Painted Turtle, and the Western Pond Turtle. In addition to its red “ear”, the face and neck are marked with yellow stripes.

Red-eared Sliders spend the winter hibernating in hollow logs, muskrat burrows, or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. When the water warms up, so do the Sliders. Sliders spend most of the summer feeding, and basking on rocks and logs. When they find a really good basking site, Sliders will stack one on top of the other to compete for the “hot spot”. Red-eared sliders rarely leave the water entirely, and enjoy quiet, freshwater ecosystems such as sluggish rivers, shallow streams, swamps, ponds and lakes with muddy bottoms and abundant aquatic vegetation.

Despite the turtle’s outer armour, Sliders must remain vigilant. A Slider makes a good meal for mink, otters, raccoons, skunks, snakes, larger turtles, and wading birds. This explains why Sliders are so quick to slip underwater at the slightest disturbance.The most common place to see these little guys are in Beacon Hill Park perched on the logs in the pond.

They do swim around but getting in the water in the park is a big no, no. I managed to get these underwater images in a very small pond behind some house in a different area of the city. Because these animals are pets that have been discarded at some point or have been born in the wild please take the utmost care when approaching them. They are very shy and not used to human interaction.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

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