Pushy Red-eared Slider

I've mentioned that the Red-eared Slider, while a North American species, is not native to New Jersey. When I said they can "aggressively bully other turtles for resources", it could mean out-competing them for food, but it could also mean taking the most desirable basking locations. Here's an example of a Red-eared Slider that found another turtle [1] in a prime basking location, and how the Red-eared Slider dealt with the problem. It just climbed up on the first turtle's carapace, hogging most of the sunlight.

Of course, if the bottom turtle is sufficiently bothered by the top one, nothing prevents it from dropping into the water, almost certainly taking the top turtle with it. (I'm thinking that this Red-eared Slider is the equivalent of the annoying coworker that you don't like working with, but also don't complain to management about.)

March 21, 2022 at Duke Island Park
Photo 186773930, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


[1] I'm not sure who the bottom turtle is, though the scutes on the carapace are consistent with one of our Painted Turtles.

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