Pond Slider
Trachemys scripta
- Habitat
- Shallow, slow-moving ponds and other waters with vegetation and nearby basking places.
- Diet
- Young sliders eat mainly animals. Adults eat more aquatic plants while continuing to take small animal prey.
- Identification clues
- An oval shell and webbed feet; a patch behind each eye may be yellow or red depending on the subspecies.
- Did you know?
- Sliders use their foreclaws in courtship displays, including underwater waving and touching.
Identification practice
Compare these sourced clues with the photograph. Color can vary and some traits are shared by other species; use several visible details together.
Southern Alligator Lizard(Elgaria multicarinata)
A slender gray-brown lizard with short legs and a very long tail; young animals often have a broad back stripe.
Reference: National Park Service · Channel Islands
Indian Garden Lizard(Calotes versicolor)
A long-tailed lizard with a spiny crest along the neck and back, and two spines above each ear opening.
Reference: National Parks Board · Singapore
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