About the Cover…
Red-eared Slider
Trachemys scripta ssp. elegans
“This individual is a male... the red ‘ears’ in older, mature male RES [red-eared sliders] will oftentimes fade completely, almost giving the animal a melanistic look...”—Michael Price, a.k.a. wild-about-texas, comment on iNaturalist
Betsy Cross
Turtles are usually so shy that the moment they feel you staring at them or sense that you’re getting the tiniest bit too close, they slide right off their perch and disappear into the water (hence, they’re called sliders). But not this guy. Instead, he seemed to enjoy the attention. It’s almost as if he was thinking, “look at me…bet you can’t do this!”
This picture and the one below were taken on the Texas State University campus during the 2023 Christmas Bird Count.
From Wikipedia:
The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described—the most recognizable is the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta ssp. elegans), which is popular in the pet trade and has been introduced to other parts of the world by people releasing it into the wild. Hatchling and juvenile pond sliders have a green upper shell (carapace), yellow bottom shell (plastron), and green and yellow stripes and markings on their skin.
These patterns and colors in the skin and shell fade with age until the carapace is a muted olive green to brown and the plastron is a dull yellow or darker. Some sliders become almost black with few visible markings. The carapace is oval with a bit of rounding and a central crest with knobs, but these features soften and fade with age, adults being smoother and flatter.
Check out this balancing act!