SUMMARY
PREVALENCE: Common
ACTIVE PERIOD: Nocturnal & diurnal
KEY ID FEATURES: Dark green or black shells, yellow and green striped faces and bodies with distinct red stripe behind the eye and yellow bellies with black markings
BEHAVIOR: Actively hunt during the day and at night, eat almost anything and very tolerant to heat and cold
SIZE: Medium - 20cm
IUCN: LC - Least concerned
QUICK ASSESSMENT 0-10
GALLERY
IMPORTANT: Most turtle species in Hong Kong are poached for both the Chinese Medicine and pet trades. You should never reveal location of encountered turtles on social media to reduce the ability of poachers to effectively hunt these extremely vunerable animals.
DESCRIPTION
Some mature specimens may approach shell length of 30cm though more commonly 20cm. Yellow and dark green or black striping on the face and body with distinct red stripe behind the eye. Ornate but faded yellow and dark green/black pattern on the top of the shell. Bellies are yellow with black spots. Males smaller than females and have long claws used to gently brush the females face during courtship. Males also have longer tails than females.
BEHAVIOR
Active during both day and night time, the Red Eared Slider can be found in almost any of Hong Kongs freshwater habitats. Often seen basking during the day on logs, rocks and at the edges of the water. They are very tolerant to both hot and cold tempratures and eat almost anything they find including plants, bugs, fish, carrion and even other smaller turtles. Their extremely hardy nature is a major factor in their success not just in Hong Kong but many other locations where they have been introduced.
HABITAT
A low land species found in reservoirs, mountain streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds, park water features and even saturated farmland.
POACHING
TURTLES ARE HEAVILY TRAFFICKED IN HONG KONG: Poachers, unfortunately are still very active in Hong Kong, regularly trapping rare turtle species to sell to the pet and Chinese Medicine trade. Turtles that end up sold into the medicine trade are killed to become ingredients in traditional medicines. The Red Eared Slider is not particularly interesting to poachers but to avoid unintentionally aiding poachers in general, locations of turtles found in Hong Kong should never be shared on social media, and individuals should never be collected as pets given the potential for disruption to local breeding populations.