Yellow bellied slider

Scientific name: Trachemys scripta scripta

Family Classification: Emydidae

Common names: Yellow-bellied Slider Turtle, Common Slider, Cumberland Slider Turtle, Red-eared Slider Turtle, Slider

IUCN Red List Category: Least Concern (1)

Year Assessed: 2011 (1)

Countries: Mexico; United States (1)

Description: The yellow-bellied slider is a land and water turtle. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands and permanent ponds. The carapace (upper shell) is typically brown and black, often with yellow stripes. The skin is olive green with prominent patches of yellow down the neck and legs.

Maximum adult length: 30 centimetres (1 ft)

Diet and predation: Yellow-bellied sliders are omnivores. Juveniles prey on aquatic insects, spiders, crustaceans, tadpoles, fish and carrion while adults are primarily herbivorous.

Conservation status: In nearly all of its range, isolated populations of yellow-bellied sliders are reproducing and thriving. They have been released and become established in areas outside their native range, where they often out compete native turtle species.