Scientific Classification:
Trachemys Scripta Elegans.

Common Name:
Red-Eared Slider or Florida turtle.

Geographic Distribution:
This native of the south of the US is found in many places of the world. The Red-Eared Sliders has been introduced by people who bought them as pets, when they decided they didn't want to keep them anymore they released them in to the wild. This represents a big problem. In southern Europe, for example, the Red-Eared Slider competes for survival against the cistude of Europe who is now in danger of extinction. What ever you do, do not release your turtle into the wild.

Size:
They can grew up to 30 cm (11.8 inches), but they normally get from 12 - 20 cm (5 - 8 inches)

Longevity:
In the wild they can get 20 years or so, but in captivity they can live from 15 - 25 years.
And remember, turtles don't do a lot of tricks, especially not a trick like the one in the picture. Just be happy for what your turtle will do. Don't punish the turtle if he/she bites or scratch you, more than likely its your fault.

Physical Description:
It is dark green with yellow lines and distinctive red patches at both sides of the head. Sliders can be distinguished most easily by their rounded lower jaw. The toes on their legs are connected by a membrane.

Gender Identification:
Males are smaller than the females. Mature males develop long foreclaws. Mature males have longer tail than females. In males the vent (opening to the cloaca) is located at a greater distance from the body tham females. The tails of males are thicker at the base than females'. Hatchlings cannot reliably be sexed.

Color Morphs:
Because several million Red-Eared Sliders are produced annually for sale outside of the United Stated and because hobbyist have had an interest in selectivity breeding color morphs with aesthetic appeal, several color morphs of Red-Eared Sliders are now available in the specialist reptile trade.

The most popular are the albino Red-Eared Sliders which as juveniles are a bright lemon yellow with the prominent orange-red patches on the sides of the head. These albino Red-Eareds will vary in color intensity. Some have a more washed out yellow than others. As they grow into adults, the yellow tends to fade to cream-yellow, but factors such as diet may affect this. Further selective breeding may improve this trait such as outbreeding with the "ornate" Red-Eared Sliders from texas.

Most of the other morphs Red-Eared Sliders are sold under the general category of "pastel" Red-Eareds. The term pastel has been applied to a wide variety of color morphs of red-Eared sliders characterized by varying degrees of hypomelanism (reduced black), hypoxanthism (reduced yellow), aberrations in pattern and varying degrees of yellow and red pigment. Thus, one can have "high red" pastels or "high yellow" pastels. A "ghost" pastel with an even greyish yellow coloration and no red or black is also occasionally available. Some pastels may also have deep red-eyes as a result of amelanism of eye structures. The issue of morphs in Red-Eared Sliders has not been clarified, and it may be several years before the complex of characters arbitrarily dumped under the pastel category are satifactorily explained and isolated. Many pastel Sliders have asymmetries and defects that suggest either incubation at inadeguate temperatures or the expression of recessive genes. Examples include asymmetry of shell pattern and/or scutes, reduced size of one or both eyes and unusual enlargement of one or both eyes (popeye). There are herpetoculturists who believe that many of the pastel traits are temperature induced and not necessarily of a genetic nature. Other assert that a significant percentage of pastel Red-Eareds are of genetic origin because a wide range of variant and aderrant Red-Eareds are lumped into this arbitary pet trade category. Because of an increased interest in the selective breeding of Red-Eared Sliders, it is likely that these issues will become clarified in the not too distant future. In any case, few turtles have more potential for the selective breeding of aesthetically appealing color morph that Red-Eared Sliders.