Red - eared slider are one of the most popular pets in the United States , but as a resolution , they ’ve become one of theworld ’s 100 most invading species . Pet freeing have contributed to their takeover , and as resilient reptiles withenhanced cognitive electrical capacity , they ’ve really lean with their freedom . They outcompete many aboriginal species and have diffuse far and wide . Now , a new study has revealed why that could be very sorry news for duck .
asunder from thedinosaur - like snapping turtle , we do n’t typically cerebrate of freshwater turtleneck as eating much beyond a few insect , fish , and amphibian . While they may salvage dead animal they find , dynamic hunting seemed less potential , but an eye - opening video has alter all of that .
In April 2023 , Alex Landry ( joined by Gabrielle Mandill ) was memorialize a pond in Mandeville , Louisiana , when something shocking happened . A rather unlucky biddy was try out to keep her duckling together while some males struggle to mate with her ( which is thought to be why they’veevolved corkscrew - shaped vagina ) when an unexpected threat pulled up to the side of the pool .
I did not know exactly how unusual or rare it was , but being a vast turtle swot , I had never seen or hear of ducklings being grabbed by cherry - dog-eared sliders like that .
A distaff red - eared slipper ( Trachemys scripta elegans ) emerge from the urine and was tarry near the duckling who either did n’t mark or seem to care . Shame , because just a few minutes later the turtle snatched a duckling and dragged it underwater , drown it . The biddy spotted the abduction and stomped her fundament on the turtle ’s back , but the duckling was n’t seen again .
A very bad daytime for that mother duck .
Landry showed the footage to ecologistBrad " Bones " Gloriosoof the US Geological Survey , Wetland and Aquatic Research Center . Safe to say , it caught his attention .
“ I evidence him right away that is a very interesting observance , ” Glorioso secern IFLScience . “ I did not know exactly how unusual or rare it was , but being a huge turtleneck nerd , I had never seen or heard of ducklings being snaffle by red - eared slider like that . ”
“ I looked into what I could witness of similar happening . It appeared to be quite rarely reported , as I only found the one theme where they are encroaching in Europe . And in that case , they state in their paper they got only a photo of a turtle shape disappear in mirky water and not the attack or anything like what Alex was able to record on picture ! I assure him then that I may be able to help him get it write if he were interested . He was concerned . ”
The subsequent paper explains that this form of behavior is well documented in snapping turtleneck ( Chelydra serpentina ) , but that this marks the first undeniable and documented video evidence that adult red - eared sliders opportunistically attack live ducklings . A turn of a shocking revelation as it was thought they drift more toward a herbivorous lifestyle as they got sometime , but not so fit in to this female .
It could be that it ’s a reception to special resources , and getting enough alimentation would ’ve been especially significant for this female as it was film during egg - laying season . Over the coming weeks , the mother duck’s egg would miss five more duckling and while it ca n’t be lie with if the turtles were behind it ( there are many , many things that like to snack on ducklings ) , the authors state that it ’s plausible .
“ I am not certain how often this occurs , but it undoubtedly pass , ” add up Glorioso . “ Perhaps it is more of a phenomenon in more anthropogenically altered habitats . And perhaps , in these habitats , due to a lack of resources turtles will do what they need to for natural selection . Red - eared Sliders are invasive all over the world and get a broad breadth in diet is a contributing ingredient to its winner in foreign places . ”
There have been anecdotal report card of sliders prey on ducklings in the past times , and the authors spotted other videos on social medium ( plus sometortoises were assure snacking on hiss ) , but this research is among the first to officially record and analyze this behavior in red - dog-eared slider . The video grounds has now been file away in the Florida Museum of Natural History , so the jig ’s up , “ herbivorous ” turtles . We do it what you ’ve done .
The paper is published inSoutheastern Naturalist .
