The Turtle with a Twist

Pond Slider Turtles Slide, Don't Crawl

by Abigail Luna Ramirez, age 12

Hey! Do you like turtles? I do!

I love, for example, how one of the three sub-species of the Pond Slider turtle—the Cumberland Slider—sounds like “cucumber,” my favorite vegetable.

Like the Cumberland Slider, the other two sub-species of Pond Slider, the Yellowbelly Slider and the Red-Eared Slider, live in many different locations. They inhabit lakes, rivers, ponds, and ditches. Specifically, these Pond Sliders are found in places with a lot of vegetation, from Illinois to Virginia and Florida to Texas.

All sub-species of the Pond Slider mate in spring and summer and lay about 10-20 eggs at a time. These eggs hatch in about two months. Some of the newly-born turtles stay in their nest until the next spring.

Pond Sliders are five to 10 inches long, and the females are usually larger than the males. Most of these creatures are brown or green with stripes on their shell, legs, and neck. They almost always have a permanent red, yellow, or orange spot behind their eyes.

Though turtles are commonly remembered for being slow, they are actually smarter and more fascinating than one might expect.

[Source: The Encyclopedia of North American Animals ]











We have a pet turtle and they are very cool. Thanks for the info, Abigail – Mike Ivey , United States (2014-09-29 14:46)
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