Red-eared Slider on a Walkabout

In July I spotted this Red-eared Slider walking around. As I've discussed before, Red-eared Sliders are a subspecies of Pond Slider, and with a name like that you generally see them in, on, or adjacent to water.

So what's the turtle doing out of the water? Well, I can't rule out that the turtle simply felt it needed to find a better habitat. If a body of water gets polluted, or is drying out, or is simply too crowded, some intrepid turtles will look for a better place to live, even if it means journeying on land.

Having said that, there is another time when female turtles absolutely need to leave the water. All turtles, even ones that will spend most of their lives in the water, need to lay eggs on land. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's going on here.

I considered following the turtle, though it's possible that a turtle looking to lay eggs would not do so if I were around.

This is the 2nd time that I suspect I met a future mom Red-eared Slider.

July 6, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 221314484, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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