The red-eared slider is a common freshwater turtle whose native range extends from the southern Great Lakes southward through Central America to Venezuela. Because of its popularity as an aquarium pet, the species has been introduced to freshwater habitats and has established breeding populations in many locations: California, France, South Africa, Bahrain, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Guam and Thailand. The red-eared slider is native to the Mississippi Valley from Illinois, west to Kansas and Oklahoma, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. 

The red-eared slider prefers quiet, soft, muddy-bottomed water bodies with rocks, logs or stumps suitable for basking in the sun. It occurs near submerged aquatic vegetation, which is an important component of the diet of adults. It has a distinctive red band behind the eye and webbed feet, indicating that it is a strong swimmer. Adult sliders range in size from about 12.5 to 29 inches (32 – 74 cm) depending on subspecies.

Come check out the red-eared slider basking on rocks or logs near the water surface in the River Scout Gallery.

• The name “slider” comes from their habit of quickly retreating into the water when they perceive even a minimal threat.
• The red-eared slider has an elaborate courtship ritual in which the male swims up in front of a female, extends his front feet and vibrates his long claws on the female’s head and neck.
• The gender of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the nest during incubation. Males develop in the cooler parts of the nest and females where it is warmer.
• Up to the 1970s, the red-eared slider was raised commercially and sold in pet shops in the U.S. However, problems with Salmonella infections transferred to children from the young, commercially raised turtles led the Federal government to ban the U S. sale as a pet of any turtle less than four inches in length.
• The red-ear slider has been heavily collected for the pet trade and for its meat, particularly in southern states.

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