A week ago I was at Kiawah Island and saw a turtle trying to cross the road in traffic. I immediately pulled the car over and hopped out to help this guy get to his destination safely. The yellow belly slider or trachemys scripta is native to the southeast. I could identify this species quickly because of the yellow markings on the turtles face and neck. It had a yellow plastron with some dark roundish markings. The carapace was a little rough and slightly keeled. It had yellow horizontal lines running across the carapace as well. He got really shy went I picked him up. He went into his shell and wouldn't walk again until I left. He wasn't very big, maybe 5-6 inches in length. I could not determine the sex in the brief time I handled it. It did have long fore-arm claws, which are characteristic of males, but I didn't have a female to compare it with.
Yellow belly sliders are often spotted in bodies of freshwater, such as ponds. They bask in the sun and can be seen on banks close to a water source. I am not sure exactly where I was on Kiawah but there are a lot of freshwater habitats that are ideal for yellow belly sliders. He or she might have been crossing the road to get to another water source. They feed on vegetation, such as leaves and algae which are commonly found in/ near freshwater habitats like this one. It is currently their breeding season, so perhaps this turtle was traveling to find a mate. This species is also commonly kept as pets.
I think this is pretty cool find, however it made me really nervous that it was in the road. I did not think it would reach the grassy area before someone ran it over so I stopped to move it. I think turtles are interesting herps and I am glad that many are conspicously marked, like this one. I knew what it was right away because of the bright yellow coloration. Where I found him was typical of this species. There were two bodies of water to either side of the road. I just wish they wouldn't cross the road!
http://srel.uga.edu/outreach/factsheet/slider.html
3 comments:
What a heroic act saving the yellow belly slider! As we talked about in class, turtles trying to cross the road are a major threat to the species when their homes are split in half by roads. Maybe the road on Kiawah should have a special turtle crossing sign or a tunnel under the road for them so that they can safely reach both bodies of water. Either way, development of roads is definitely a hazard for turtles!
So glad you stopped to help it!
As Catherine said, you would think Kiawah would be aware of these dangers and help prevent them!
Not everyone is going to notice a 5-6 inch turtle, let alone stop to help it. :(
It looks pretty young, since it's carapace markings are still quite vivid.
Turtle crossing signs are a great idea! More tips on helping turtles cross the road: http://consciouscompanion2012.com/tag/turtle-crossing/
and
https://consciouscompanion2012.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/sammy-the-turtle-crossing-road.jpg
Post a Comment