Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Here's a recent shot of our classroom Red-eared Slider relaxing on his rock. During the school year he lives in the class- room and in the summer enjoys an outdoor pool. Red-eared Sliders are probably not native to Michigan but have escaped or been released into our state by pet owners. According to Harding and Holman (1990) this turtle species is native from northwestern Indiana south to Georgia and west to Texas and Oklahoma where it prefers to live in still-water habitats (lakes, ponds, sloughs).