2014 Rescue #14 (but I don't take water turtles!!)

[Yvonne G]

You're not going to believe the size of this girl. I'm not good at I.D.ing the different water species, so I'm only guessing that this is a yellow belly slider. She's the biggest slider I've ever seen!



She was picked up by a fellow who was driving by and saw her in the middle of a busy expressway that runs alongside the San Joaquin River here in Fresno. The actual river is about a half mile away from the expressway and down a steep cliff/bluff.

The guy said she was in the middle of the road and he moved her off to the river side of the road. She scrambled back to the middle of the road. So he moved her off to the opposite side. She scrambled back to the middle. So he called the zoo, and here she is. These turtles are not native here. The only native water turtle we have is the Actinemys marmorata. So it's good that he brought it to me. But I don't take water turtles, so it's BAD that he brought it to me. Now I have to keep her until I can amass a few more, then I'll give the guy with the 2 acre pond a call to come get them.

 

[dmmj]

she certainly is an impressive specimen.

 

[Markw84]

Yvonne - that's a cooter - Pseudemys not a slider - Trachemys. Really hard to tell exactly which one as they hybridize readily, but looks like a river cooter - Trachemys concinna. It definitely doesn't belong in California as a native! Nice sized female.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yvonne - that's a cooter - Pseudemys not a slider - Trachemys. Really hard to tell exactly which one as they hybridize readily, but looks like a river cooter - Trachemys concinna. It definitely doesn't belong in California as a native! Nice sized female.

Thanks, Mark. This makes the second one I've had turned in to me. I figured YB slider, but looked up river cooter and I guess that's what they are - Pseudemys concinna

 

[bouaboua]

I wonder the guy with 2 acre of pond will do with all the water turtles you gave him? He just all put them in the pond and made United Nation Of Water Turtles there??

 

[Yvonne G]

Yup. UN of water turtles! He and his wife get in the electric golf cart every evening with a bag of turtle food and ride off into the sunset to feed the turtles.

 

[bouaboua]

I thought you were the crazy one.........

Bless his heart! ! !

 

[cdmay]

Yvonne - that's a cooter - Pseudemys not a slider - Trachemys. Really hard to tell exactly which one as they hybridize readily, but looks like a river cooter - Trachemys concinna. It definitely doesn't belong in California as a native! Nice sized female.

Ditto, a river cooter. Not a slider. Who knows from where though...

 

[dmmj]

if I had a couple acres of land I would have a huge pond as well