Wayfarin
Member
Hello folks!
I've already mentioned our red-eared slider, Teresa, on many of my older posts before.
Most of these posts were regarding the husbandry of the species in general.
However, this time, I'm interested in posting a thread on the subject of Teresa herself.
I've noticed that many red-eared sliders, usually in the wild, have a somewhat robust appearance, with broad heads and small eyes. Their shells are often dark (almost black) and devoid of pattern.
Teresa, on the other hand, has an almost immature or "juvenile-looking" appearance.
In addition to her "froggy" eyes, somewhat bold shell pattern, and overall small size, her shell seems unusually wide, a characteristic of the almost circular-shaped juvenile individuals.
Supposedly, red-earered-eared sliders can grow to have a shell length of almost a foot long, but Teresa is still small, at a little less than 8" in shell (carapace) length.
She's over a decade old, possibly 16 years of age, and should be full grown (that is, if turtles ever stop growing).
She's been living in an undersized aquarium. Tank size doesn't determine a turtle's size, does it?
(These pictures may be misleading. The measurer wasn't aligned correctly, but her shell is about 7 and a half inches.)
View attachment 361730
View attachment 361726View attachment 361723View attachment 361722View attachment 361721View attachment 361719View attachment 361720View attachment 361717View attachment 361716View attachment 361718
Before I start sounding like Teresa is a "freak" of an individual, I must mention that I've noticed that many captive sliders share Teresa's appearance, even when up to 20 years old.
Is this appearance in sliders an example of neoteny? That is, a sort of genetic stunting that can't be reversed?
I'm not worried much about her, since many sliders with her appearance live for a long time. I'm more curious about clearing up the whole matter.
Thanks! God bless!
I've already mentioned our red-eared slider, Teresa, on many of my older posts before.
Most of these posts were regarding the husbandry of the species in general.
However, this time, I'm interested in posting a thread on the subject of Teresa herself.
I've noticed that many red-eared sliders, usually in the wild, have a somewhat robust appearance, with broad heads and small eyes. Their shells are often dark (almost black) and devoid of pattern.
Teresa, on the other hand, has an almost immature or "juvenile-looking" appearance.
In addition to her "froggy" eyes, somewhat bold shell pattern, and overall small size, her shell seems unusually wide, a characteristic of the almost circular-shaped juvenile individuals.
Supposedly, red-earered-eared sliders can grow to have a shell length of almost a foot long, but Teresa is still small, at a little less than 8" in shell (carapace) length.
She's over a decade old, possibly 16 years of age, and should be full grown (that is, if turtles ever stop growing).
She's been living in an undersized aquarium. Tank size doesn't determine a turtle's size, does it?
(These pictures may be misleading. The measurer wasn't aligned correctly, but her shell is about 7 and a half inches.)
View attachment 361730
View attachment 361726View attachment 361723View attachment 361722View attachment 361721View attachment 361719View attachment 361720View attachment 361717View attachment 361716View attachment 361718
Before I start sounding like Teresa is a "freak" of an individual, I must mention that I've noticed that many captive sliders share Teresa's appearance, even when up to 20 years old.
Is this appearance in sliders an example of neoteny? That is, a sort of genetic stunting that can't be reversed?
I'm not worried much about her, since many sliders with her appearance live for a long time. I'm more curious about clearing up the whole matter.
Thanks! God bless!