Red-eared Sliders are distinguished by a
unique red stripe on the side of the head.
Image by r.chayanutt.
In Print.In Print.In Print.Reptile-related news items.A highly-invasive species of freshwater turtle could well have already
gained permanent resident status in Australia.Ask any Australian with a keen interest in herpetology which exotic reptile species currently pose the highest risk of establishing
naturalised populations in this country and the Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus) and the Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta
elegans) are likely to figure prominently on their list of suspects. Of course, the Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) and the Asian
House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) are now unfortunately already entrenched perhaps beyond the ability to control. But like
the Corn Snake, of which a staggering total of 79 free-ranging specimens were captured by wildlife authorities in the greater
Sydney area between 2002 and 2014 (see iHerp Australia issue 2), many people may be surprised at the extent and also the range
within which free-living Red-eared Sliders have been found in Australia, as documented by a recent paper in Australian Zoologist
by Matthew Mo.