# Red-eared Slider (*Trachemys scripta elegans*)

The Red-eared Slider is a common pond turtle that loves to swim and to bask on logs in the sun. It has a bright red stripe behind each eye!

- **Category:** [Reptiles](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/reptile)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Snaps:** 84
- **Habitat:** Freshwater lakes, ponds, and rivers
- **Also known as:** Red-eared Terrapin

![Red-eared Slider](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426536/objects/5623.jpg)

## Appearance

The Red-eared Slider has a smooth, olive to brown shell, often with yellow streaking. Its head and limbs are green with fine yellow lines, and it is famously identified by a prominent red or orange patch on each side of its head, behind the eyes.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Testudines
- **Order:** Testudines
- **Family:** Emydidae
- **Genus:** Trachemys

## Red-eared slider, up close

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a medium-sized freshwater turtle from the Midwest of the United States south into north-eastern Mexico, named for the broad red stripe behind each eye and its habit of sliding off logs into the water when startled. It spends its days swimming, feeding and basking, eating mostly small animals when young and mostly plants as an adult. Millions were sold as pets, and released pets now live wild in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, making it one of the world’s worst invasive species.

Also called: Red-eared terrapin, Red-eared slider turtle.

The pond turtle with a red stripe behind each eye: it basks on logs, slides into the water at the first sign of trouble and paddles with webbed feet. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Sun Charger** (2× more vitamin D with UV light): Sliders haul out on logs and rocks to bask. Sunshine warms their bodies and its ultraviolet light helps them make vitamin D. [11][2][12]
  - Sliders are ectotherms: their body heat comes from their surroundings, so they bask to warm up.
  - In a lab study, 12 young sliders kept under UV lamps for 4 weeks had more than twice as much vitamin D in their blood as sliders without UV.
  - Sliders are sociable baskers and often crowd onto the same log.
  - Even far from home, in Turkey, an invasive population kept its body close to its preferred temperature by careful basking.
  - Vitamin D in the blood after 4 weeks: With UV lamp 71.7 nmol/L; No UV lamp 31.4 nmol/L
- **Slide and Splash** (0.6–0.9 m favourite water depth): This is where the name comes from: at the first sign of danger, a basking slider slides off its rock or log into the water. [4][2]
  - Its name, slider, comes from how quickly it slides off rocks, logs or banks when danger threatens.
  - Sliders like slow, shallow water with lots of plants and basking spots, most often 0.6–0.9 m deep.
  - Many animals hunt sliders, from alligators, gar and herons to raccoons, so a quick escape matters.
- **Shell Retreat** (Straight back the neck folds into the shell): When it feels threatened, a slider pulls its head, legs and tail into its hard, bony shell. [6][1][4]
  - The neck folds straight back inside the shell, not sideways like the side-necked turtles of Australia.
  - In Australia, where every native turtle tucks its head in sideways, this straight-back pull helps people spot escaped sliders.
  - Near water, a slider’s first escape is usually to slide in instead.
- **Claw Flutter** (Mar–Jun main courtship season): A courting male swims face to face with a female and flutters his long front claws in the water near her eyes. [2][8][1]
  - Both sexes have front claws used in courtship, but males’ are longer.
  - Courtship can also include chasing and nipping. Either sex can start it, though males usually do.
  - Old, dark (melanistic) males flutter their claws more often than younger, brighter males.
  - In Missouri, courtship happens mostly from mid-March to mid-June, and sometimes in autumn.
- **Egg Burrow** (6–11 eggs in a typical clutch): In late spring, females leave the water, dig a nest hole on land and lay their eggs. Then the eggs are on their own. [2][1][6][13]
  - A clutch usually holds 6–11 eggs (2–20 in all). In Missouri the average is 10 and the most is 22.
  - Females lay 1–2 clutches a year, sometimes up to 4. The nest is about 10–14 cm deep.
  - The eggs hatch after 60–95 days. Nest temperature decides the babies’ sex: below 28.6 °C all males, above 29.6 °C all females.
  - Each egg is 31–43 mm long and weighs 6.1–15.4 g.
- **Red Stripe ID** (1 red stripe per side): The broad red stripe behind each eye is the quickest way to tell a red-eared slider from other pond turtles. [3][2][1]
  - The stripe is usually red or orange and very rarely yellow.
  - Painted turtles have two yellow spots behind each eye. Yellow-bellied sliders have a yellow patch and no red.
  - Old males can turn so dark (melanistic) that the pattern is hard to see.
- **Diet Switch** (1 summer for the switch to plants): Baby sliders hunt small animals. Grown-ups eat mostly plants. [2][7][1]
  - Juveniles eat insects, larvae, spiders, crayfish, tadpoles, snails, small fish and more. Animal food gives them the calcium and nutrients they need to grow.
  - The switch from meat to mostly plants can happen within one summer.
  - Adults still snack on animals, and they feast on periodical cicadas when the 13- or 17-year swarms appear.
- **Paddle Feet** (5 webbed toes on each foot): A slider swims by paddling with all four webbed feet. [2][1]
  - Each foot has five toes joined by webbing, like a built-in flipper.
  - Sliders forage underwater and often float with only the head above the surface.
  - At night they sleep resting on the bottom or floating at the surface.

### Body parts

- **Shell** (10–29 cm adult shell length) [1][2][3][4]
  - The upper shell, or carapace, is olive brown with lots of black and yellow lines.
  - Adults measure about 10–29 cm along the shell. Females grow bigger than males.
  - Each year a new layer of shell scales (scutes) grows under the old one. The growth lines can show a slider’s age until it is about 4 years old.
  - Older sliders often wear a thick coat of green algae on their shells.
- **Belly shell** [1][2]
  - The lower shell, or plastron, is yellow. Each scale normally has a large dark brown or black blotch.
  - Its cousin the yellow-bellied slider has a mostly yellow belly shell with only a few black spots.
  - Sliders are often mistaken for painted turtles or chicken turtles. Chicken turtles have smooth shells; sliders’ shells are not.
- **Red “ear” stripe** (1 red stripe behind each eye) [3][2][1]
  - The famous “red ear” is a broad red or orange stripe of skin behind each eye. Very rarely it is yellow.
  - It is a marking, not an ear. The stripe runs straight back along the side of the head.
  - Painted turtles have two yellow spots behind each eye. Sliders have just one patch.
  - Some old males turn very dark all over, which is called melanism.
- **Eyes** [5][2]
  - The retina has a cone cell tuned to ultraviolet light, a colour people cannot see.
  - Lab studies found signs that the retina mixes ultraviolet into its colour vision, alongside red, green and blue.
  - The snout points upwards, and sliders often float with just the head above the water.
- **Head and neck** (Straight back how the neck pulls in) [6]
  - A slider pulls its head straight back into the shell, folding its neck inside.
  - All of Australia’s native turtles tuck their heads in sideways instead, so the straight-back pull is one clue to an escaped slider there.
- **Mouth** (1 summer for the switch to plants) [2][7][1]
  - Young sliders are mostly meat-eaters: insects, larvae, spiders, crayfish, tadpoles, snails and small fish.
  - As they grow, they switch to mostly plants. In one study, the shift happened over a single summer.
  - Young sliders’ food holds much more calcium than adults’ food. Scientists think the growing shell needs it.
  - When periodical cicadas swarm out every 13 or 17 years, sliders feast on them.
- **Front claws** [2][8]
  - Both males and females have front claws used in courtship, but they are longer in males.
  - A male courts by fluttering his long front claws through the water near a female’s eyes.
  - Old, dark (melanistic) males court with claw displays more often than younger males.
- **Back legs** (10–14 cm nest hole depth) [2][1]
  - Each foot has five webbed toes for paddling.
  - Sliders also walk well on land, for example to graze or to move between ponds.
  - Females leave the water to dig a nest hole about 10–14 cm deep for their eggs.
- **Tail** [6][2]
  - Males usually have a long, thick tail. It is one way to tell them from females.
  - Females are bigger: in one summary, adult females averaged 25.4 cm along the shell and males 17.8 cm.
- **Lungs** (Mar–Oct active season in Missouri) [3][1][9][10]
  - Sliders breathe air with lungs, but they rarely leave the water except to bask.
  - In winter they rest underwater, buried in mud or under a cut bank.
  - In cold water with plenty of oxygen, freshwater turtles can take most of the oxygen they need straight from the water.
  - Adult turtles cope with low-oxygen water better than hatchlings, probably because their bonier shells work as a chemical buffer.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shell length | 10–29 cm | adults, along the upper shell [2][3] |
| Female vs male | 25.4 cm | average adult female shell; males average 17.8 cm; Females are about 1.4 times longer [2] |
| Weight | up to 3.2 kg | the top weight in one species summary [2] |
| Hatchling size | 23–35 mm | shell length at hatching; About a third of the size the US lets shops sell [2][14] |
| Eggs per clutch | 6–11 | typical average; 2–20 in all, up to 22 in Missouri [2][1] |
| Clutches a year | 1–2 | sometimes up to 4 [2] |
| Incubation | 60–95 days | from laying to hatching [2][1] |
| Boy-or-girl switch | 28.6–29.6 °C | cooler nests: all males; warmer: all females [2][13] |
| Lifespan | ≈30 years | in the wild; 41.3 years is the top captive record [2][15][4] |
| Exported as pets | 52 million | from the USA, 1989–1997 [6] |

### Photos

- [A red-eared slider in Singapore, far from its American home](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-eared_slider_(Trachemys_scripta_elegans).jpg) (photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Basking buddies on a log in Washington state, where sliders are not native](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turtles_basking_on_a_log_-_Flickr_-_brewbooks.jpg) (photo: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- [An old melanistic male in Germany: the dark colour hides most of his pattern](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trachemys_scripta_elegans%2C_melanistic.jpg) (photo: Roland Gromes, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A hatchling: its shell is only a few centimetres long](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hatchling_Red-eared_Slider_(29639037521).jpg) (photo: Virginia State Parks staff, CC BY 2.0)
- [A yellow-bellied slider basking at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow_Bellied_Slider_Basking.jpg) (photo: Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [Paddling with webbed feet in a garden pond in Malta](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_red-eared_slider_turtle_(Trachemys_scripta_elegans)_swimming_in_water.jpg) (photo: Godwin Borg, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [At home in its native range near St. Louis, Missouri](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-Eared_Slider_(Trachemys_scripta)_-_Flickr_-_2ndPeter.jpg) (photo: Peter Paplanus, CC BY 2.0)
- [Two subspecies, one log: a young yellow-bellied slider on a red-eared slider’s back](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-eared_and_Yellow-bellied_slider.jpg) (photo: Asþont, CC BY-SA 4.0)

### Questions

- **Why is it called a red-eared slider?** “Red-eared” comes from the broad red or orange stripe behind each eye, which is a marking, not an ear. “Slider” comes from its habit of sliding off rocks and logs into the water when it is startled. [3][4]
- **How big do red-eared sliders get?** Adults measure about 10–29 cm along the shell and can weigh up to about 3.2 kg. Females are bigger: in one summary they averaged 25.4 cm, males 17.8 cm. Hatchlings are only 23–35 mm long. [2][3]
- **How long do red-eared sliders live?** Wild sliders can live about 30 years. The top captive record in the AnAge database is 41.3 years, so a pet slider is a commitment for decades. [2][15][4]
- **What do red-eared sliders eat?** Young sliders eat mostly small animals such as insects, tadpoles, snails, crayfish and small fish. As they grow they switch to mostly water plants, though adults still eat some animals. [2][7][1]
- **How can you tell a male red-eared slider from a female?** Males are smaller, with long front claws and a long, thick tail. Females have bigger shells. Old males often turn very dark. [2][6][1]
- **What do red-eared sliders do in winter?** In cold places they rest underwater, buried in mud or under a cut bank, and become active again in spring. In cold, well-oxygenated water, freshwater turtles can take most of the oxygen they need from the water. Northern hatchlings usually spend their first winter in the nest. [1][4][9][20]
- **Are red-eared sliders invasive?** Yes, outside their native range. Released pets live wild in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and the slider is listed among 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species. In Europe they take basking spots from native pond turtles. Never release a pet turtle. [2][1][21][17]
- **Can you get Salmonella from a pet turtle?** Yes. Turtles often carry Salmonella in their gut, even when they look clean and healthy. Wash your hands with soap and running water after touching a turtle, its food or its tank. Children under 5 should not handle reptiles. [14][19]

### Red-eared slider myths and facts

Pet shops, playgrounds and the internet all have stories about sliders. Here is what the evidence says.

- "The red patch is the slider’s ear." **Myth!** It is a broad red or orange stripe of coloured skin behind each eye. It gives the turtle its name, but it is only a marking. [3]
- "The temperature of the nest decides whether a baby slider is a boy or a girl." **Fact!** Nests cooler than about 28.6 °C produce all males and nests warmer than 29.6 °C all females. Scientists first proved temperature sex-switching in turtles, in map turtles, in 1979. [2][13][16]
- "Sliders are named after sliding off logs." **Fact!** The name comes from their habit of sliding off rocks, logs and banks into the water when startled. [4]
- "A baby slider will stay small enough for a little tank." **Myth!** Hatchlings are only 23–35 mm long, but adults can reach about 30 cm and live for decades. Many owners are not ready for that. [2][6][15]
- "Letting a pet slider go in a pond sets it free and helps nature." **Myth!** Most released pet reptiles die, and sliders that survive can push native turtles off the best basking spots and spread parasites. Ask a pet shop or rescue to rehome it instead. [14][17][18]
- "A clean, healthy-looking turtle can still carry Salmonella germs." **Fact!** Reptiles often carry Salmonella in their gut even when they look clean and healthy. Washing hands with soap and running water after touching a turtle or its tank keeps you safe. [14][19]
- "Pet sliders recognise the person who feeds them." **Not proven!** We found no scientific study testing whether sliders tell individual people apart. It is a popular idea, but nobody has shown it yet.
- "Sliders spend the winter asleep on land." **Myth!** Adults spend the winter underwater, buried in mud or under a cut bank. Only the hatchlings in the north stay on land, inside their nest, until spring. [1][20]

### Red-eared slider records

Big numbers from the turtle that went around the world.

- Most popular pet turtle: Red-eared slider, 52 million+ (exported from the USA in 1989–1997, the most popular turtle in the pet trade) [6]
- On the worst-invaders list: Red-eared slider, 1 of 100 (listed among 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species) [21]
- Oldest on record: A captive pond slider, 41.3 years (the top longevity record in the AnAge database; wild sliders live up to about 30 years) [15][2]
- Biggest clutch (Missouri): Red-eared slider, 22 eggs (the most eggs recorded in one clutch in Missouri, where the average is 10) [1]
- Heaviest: Pond slider, 3.2 kg (the top weight in one species summary; females are the bigger sex) [2]

### Life of a red-eared slider

From an egg in a sunny bank to decades of basking.

- **Spring**: Courtship. From mid-March to mid-June, males flutter their long front claws in front of females. [1][2]
- **May–June**: Nest on land. A female leaves the water, digs a hole 10–14 cm deep and lays 6–11 eggs. Then she goes back to the water. [1][2][4]
- **60–95 days**: Warm or cool. The eggs develop in the ground. Warm nests make girls and cool nests make boys. [2][13]
- **Late summer**: Hatching. Hatchlings break out of their eggs with shells only 23–35 mm long. [1][2]
- **First winter**: Still in the nest. In northern places, hatchlings usually stay inside the nest all winter and climb out the next spring. [1][20][10]
- **Year 1**: Little hunter. Young sliders eat insects, tadpoles, snails and small fish to grow fast. [2][7]
- **2–8 years**: Grown up. Males mature at 2–5 years and females at 5–8 years, later in cold places. By now they eat mostly plants. [2][1][7]
- **Every winter**: Under the water. Sliders rest underwater in the mud through the cold months. In Missouri they become active again in March, once the air reaches about 10 °C (50 °F). [1][4]
- **Up to ≈30 years**: Old age. Wild sliders can live about 30 years. Some old males turn very dark. [2][15][1]

### Red-eared sliders as pets: the facts

Sliders are popular pets, but they are a big, long commitment and they can carry germs. These are the numbers to know.

- **1975** US ban on small turtles. Selling turtles with shells under 4 inches (about 10 cm) has been banned in the USA since 1975 because they spread Salmonella, especially to children. Outbreaks still happen when small turtles are sold illegally. [14][22]
- **100,000** child infections prevented each year. US health officials estimate that the small-turtle ban prevents about 100,000 Salmonella infections in children every year. [14]
- **Under 5** too young to handle reptiles. Children under 5 should not touch reptiles or their tanks, because they are more likely to get seriously ill. [14][19]
- **≈30 cm** how big a pet can grow. A tiny hatchling can grow to about 30 cm and live for decades, so a pet slider needs a big tank for a long time. [6][2][15]

Wash your hands with soap and running water after touching a turtle, its food, its tank or its water. Never release a pet turtle: ask a pet shop or rescue to rehome it.

### Is the red-eared slider endangered?

No. It is common at home in the USA. The bigger problem is the other way round: released pets now threaten native turtles in many countries.

- **IUCN Red List:** Least Concern (LC). One of the most common turtles in its native range, from the US Midwest into north-eastern Mexico. Outside that range it is treated as an invasive species. [23][24][3][1]
- IUCN Red List (pond slider, Trachemys scripta)
- **Threat: Released pets** (52 million+): More than 52 million sliders were exported from the USA in 1989–1997. Many owners were not ready for adults up to 30 cm long, and some let them go. [6]
- **Threat: Crowding out native turtles**: In experimental ponds, sliders won the best basking spots from endangered European pond turtles. [17]
- **Threat: Spreading parasites**: Surveys in France and Spain found parasites in wild and captive pond turtles. At least 8 kinds had probably arrived with American turtles. [18]
- **Threat: At home in new places**: Sliders have bred in the wild in Mediterranean Europe, and an invasive population in Turkey keeps its body temperature close to its preferred range. [6][12]
- **Helping: Never release pets**: Rehome an unwanted turtle through a pet shop or rescue. Most pet reptiles released outdoors die, and some harm wildlife. [14][1]
- **Helping: Trade rules**: Several countries ban importing sliders, and the USA has banned selling small turtles since 1975. [1][14]
- **Helping: Removing escapees**: In Missouri, wildlife staff are removing released yellow-bellied sliders to protect native turtles. [1]
- **Helping: Raising the alarm**: Listing the slider among the world’s 100 worst invaders helps warn people about releasing pets. [21][6]

### Red-eared slider vs yellow-bellied slider vs painted turtle

Three common North American pond turtles that often bask on the same logs.

| | Red-eared slider | Yellow-bellied slider | Painted turtle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name [24][2][25] | Trachemys scripta elegans | Trachemys scripta scripta | Chrysemys picta |
| Mark behind the eye [3][1][2] | One broad red (rarely yellow) stripe | A yellow patch, no red | Two yellow spots |
| Native range [3][2][25] | US Midwest to north-eastern Mexico | Southern Virginia to northern Florida | Southern Canada to northern Mexico |
| Eggs per clutch [2][25] | 6–11 on average (2–20) | Same species: similar | 4–15 |
| Lifespan [2][15][25] | ≈30 years wild; 41.3 in captivity | Same species: similar | Up to 35–40 years |
| Winter trick [1][20][26][27] | Rests underwater in mud; hatchlings stay in the nest | Same species: similar | Adults last 3–4 months with no oxygen at 3 °C; hatchlings survive partly freezing |

Red-eared and yellow-bellied sliders are two subspecies of one species, the pond slider, so their lives are much alike.

### Red-eared slider body language

- Basking in a group on a log: Warming up in the sun. Sliders are sociable and often bask in big numbers. [2]
- Sudden plop into the water: Startled. It slides off its log the moment it senses danger. [4]
- Head and legs pulled in: Hiding inside its shell for protection. [6]
- Floating with only the head up: Resting or looking for food near the surface. [2]
- Front claws fluttering at another turtle: Courtship: a male showing off to a female. [2][8]
- Lying still on the bottom at night: Asleep. Sliders sleep on the bottom or floating at the surface. [1]

### Looks

- **Adult female**: The bigger sex: olive-brown shell with yellow lines, green skin with fine yellow stripes and a red stripe behind each eye. (Shell about 25.4 cm on average · mature at 5–8 years) [2][1]
- **Adult male**: Smaller, with long front claws for courtship and a long, thick tail. Old males can turn very dark all over. (Shell about 17.8 cm on average · mature at 2–5 years) [2][6][1]
- **Hatchling**: A tiny slider with a shell just 23–35 mm long. (Small turtles like this are exactly the size the US banned from sale in 1975) [2][14]
- **Yellow-bellied slider**: Same species, different subspecies (Trachemys scripta scripta): a yellow patch behind the eye instead of red, thinner vertical lines on the neck and legs, and a mostly yellow belly shell. (Released pets now turn up outside its range, for example in Missouri) [2][1]

### Red-eared slider quiz

1. Why is it called a “slider”? **It slides off logs into the water when startled.** Sliders are quick to slide off rocks, logs and banks when danger threatens. [4]
2. What is the red “ear”? **A stripe of red skin behind the eye.** It is a broad red or orange stripe behind each eye: a marking, not an ear. [3]
3. What decides whether a slider egg hatches as a male or a female? **The temperature of the nest.** Cooler nests make males and warmer nests make females. [2][13]
4. Below about what temperature do slider nests produce only males? **28.6 °C.** Below 28.6 °C all hatchlings are male; above 29.6 °C all are female. [2]
5. Basking under ultraviolet light helps a slider make what? **Vitamin D.** Young sliders under UV lamps had more than twice as much vitamin D in their blood. [11]
6. How does a slider’s diet change as it grows up? **Small animals first, then mostly plants.** Young sliders are mostly meat-eaters; adults eat mostly plants. [7][2]
7. How does a male slider court a female? **He flutters his long front claws near her eyes.** The claw flutter is the slider’s courtship display. [2]
8. Where do adult sliders spend the winter? **Underwater in the mud.** They rest underwater, buried in mud or under a cut bank. [1]
9. Where do many northern hatchlings spend their first winter? **Inside their nest on land.** In the north, hatchlings usually stay in the nest until spring. [1][20]
10. How does a slider pull its head into its shell? **Straight back.** Its neck folds straight back, unlike the side-necked turtles of Australia. [6]
11. What should you do after touching a turtle or its tank? **Wash your hands with soap and running water.** Turtles can carry Salmonella germs even when they look clean and healthy. [14]
12. What should you do with a pet slider you can no longer keep? **Ask a pet shop or rescue to rehome it.** Released pets usually die or harm wildlife, so rehome them instead. [14][1]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-16)

1. [Missouri Department of Conservation. Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). MDC Field Guide.](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/red-eared-slider)
2. [Armentrout K, Mcgregor C. Trachemys scripta (pond slider). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Trachemys_scripta/)
3. [U.S. Geological Survey. Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans): species profile. Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.](https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=1261)
4. [Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).](https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/slider/)
5. [Ventura DF, Zana Y, de Souza JM, DeVoe RD (2001). Ultraviolet colour opponency in the turtle retina. Journal of Experimental Biology 204: 2527–2534.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.204.14.2527)
6. [Global Invasive Species Database (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group). Species profile: Trachemys scripta elegans.](http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=71)
7. [Clark DB, Gibbons JW (1969). Dietary shift in the turtle Pseudemys scripta (Schoepff) from youth to maturity. Copeia 1969: 704.](https://doi.org/10.2307/1441797)
8. [Thomas RB (2002). Conditional mating strategy in a long-lived vertebrate: ontogenetic shifts in the mating tactics of male slider turtles (Trachemys scripta). Copeia 2002: 456–461.](https://doi.org/10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0456:CMSIAL]2.0.CO;2)
9. [Jackson DC, Ultsch GR (2010). Physiology of hibernation under the ice by turtles and frogs. Journal of Experimental Zoology A 313: 311–327.](https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.603)
10. [Ultsch GR (2006). The ecology of overwintering among turtles: where turtles overwinter and its consequences. Biological Reviews 81: 339–367.](https://doi.org/10.1017/S1464793106007032)
11. [Acierno MJ, Mitchell MA, Roundtree MK, Zachariah TT (2006). Effects of ultraviolet radiation on 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 synthesis in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). American Journal of Veterinary Research 67: 2046–2049.](https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.67.12.2046)
12. [Murat A, Çetin Ç (2026). Thermal ecology and thermoregulatory behavior of the invasive turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, in the Mediterranean Basin. Journal of Experimental Zoology A.](https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70117)
13. [Wibbels T, Bull JJ, Crews D (1991). Chronology and morphology of temperature-dependent sex determination. Journal of Experimental Zoology 260: 371–381.](https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402600311)
14. [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reptiles and amphibians (Healthy Pets).](https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/about/reptiles-and-amphibians.html)
15. [AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database. Common slider (Trachemys scripta).](https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Trachemys_scripta)
16. [Bull JJ, Vogt RC (1979). Temperature-dependent sex determination in turtles. Science 206: 1186–1188.](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.505003)
17. [Cadi A, Joly P (2003). Competition for basking places between the endangered European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis galloitalica) and the introduced red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). Canadian Journal of Zoology 81: 1392–1398.](https://doi.org/10.1139/z03-108)
18. [Héritier L, Valdeón A, Sadaoui A, et al. (2017). Introduction and invasion of the red-eared slider and its parasites in freshwater ecosystems of Southern Europe: risk assessment for the European pond turtle in wild environments. Biodiversity and Conservation 26.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1331-y)
19. [Sodagari HR, Habib I, Shahabi MP, Dybing NA, Wang P, Bruce M (2020). A review of the public health challenges of Salmonella and turtles. Veterinary Sciences 7: 56.](https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7020056)
20. [Tucker JK, Packard GC (1998). Overwinter survival by hatchling sliders (Trachemys scripta) in west-central Illinois. Journal of Herpetology 32: 431.](https://doi.org/10.2307/1565459)
21. [Global Invasive Species Database. 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species.](https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php)
22. [Nemechek K, Stapleton GS, Waltenburg MA, et al. (2023). Multistate outbreak of turtle-associated salmonellosis highlights ongoing challenges with the illegal sale and distribution of small turtles. Zoonoses and Public Health.](https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.13080)
23. [GBIF. IUCN Red List category for Trachemys scripta (IUCN taxon 22028): Least Concern.](https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2443002/iucnRedListCategory)
24. [Wikidata. Trachemys scripta elegans (Q207839); parent taxon Trachemys scripta (Q142985).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207839)
25. [Animal Diversity Web. Chrysemys picta (painted turtle). University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chrysemys_picta/)
26. [Jackson DC (2002). Hibernating without oxygen: physiological adaptations of the painted turtle. Journal of Physiology 543: 731–737.](https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.024729)
27. [Storey KB, Storey JM, Brooks SPJ, Churchill TA, Brooks RJ (1988). Hatchling turtles survive freezing during winter hibernation. PNAS 85: 8350–8354.](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.85.21.8350)

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 10-29 cm
- **Weight:** 0.5-3.2 kg
- **Lifespan:** 20-30 years
- **Clutch Size:** 2-22
- **Incubation:** 60-95 days
- **Maximum Depth:** 3 m

## Diet & Feeding

Young sliders eat bugs and fish, but adults enjoy more greens and aquatic plants!

- **Age differences:** Young turtles are mostly carnivorous, eating insects and small aquatic life; as they mature, their diet shifts to become primarily herbivorous.
- **Primary Foods:** Aquatic insects, Small fish, Tadpoles, Aquatic plants, Algae, Worms
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [American Alligator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-alligator) (*Alligator mississippiensis*) — Adult alligators often prey on juvenile and adult sliders.
- **Eaten by:** [Great Blue Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-blue-heron) (*Ardea herodias*) — Large wading birds can snatch young sliders from the water.
- **Eats:** Mosquitofish (*Gambusia affinis*) — Young sliders eat small animals, including small fish.
- **Eats:** [Common Duckweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-duckweed) (*Lemna minor*) — Adult sliders eat mostly water plants.

## Traits

- [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
- [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species.

## Collections

- [Reptiles & Amphibians](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/reptiles-and-amphibians)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Look but don’t touch. Keep a safe distance and wash your hands with soap after exploring. Turtles can carry germs, so children under 5 should not touch turtles or their tanks.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Red-eared Slider?

Compare shell shape, shell markings, head stripes and the shape of the feet. Wear, age and algae can hide shell patterns. Turtle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Red-eared Slider?

10-29 cm

### How much does Red-eared Slider weigh?

0.5-3.2 kg

### How long does Red-eared Slider live?

20-30 years

### What does Red-eared Slider eat?

Young sliders eat bugs and fish, but adults enjoy more greens and aquatic plants!

### Where is Red-eared Slider usually found?

Freshwater lakes, ponds, and rivers

### How many eggs does Red-eared Slider lay?

2-22

## Where to spot

- [Black Hawk State Historic Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-hawk-state-historic-site) — Illinois, US · Park
- [Camp Evans](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/camp-evans) — New Jersey, US · Historic Site
- [Center Square/Hudson–Park Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/center-square-hudson-park-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District
- [Central Park West Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/central-park-west-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District
- [Clinton Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clinton-hill-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District
- [Coindre Hall Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/coindre-hall-park) — New York, US · Park

[View all places to see Red-eared Slider](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/red-eared-slider)

## More Reptiles

- [Pond Slider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pond-slider) (*Trachemys scripta*)
- [Western Fence Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-fence-lizard) (*Sceloporus occidentalis*)
- [Common Five-lined Skink](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-five-lined-skink) (*Plestiodon fasciatus*)
- [Desert Spiny Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/desert-spiny-lizard) (*Sceloporus magister*)

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Source: [Red-eared Slider: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-eared-slider)