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Cat Island Slider
Trachemys terrapen
The Jamaican slider (Trachemys terrapen), also known as the Cat Island slider, is a species of fresh water turtle in the family Emydidae. It is found in the Bahamas (where it is introduced) and Jamaica. As it is not currently found on any of the other surrounding islands in the region, it is assumed that the Jamaican slider was introduced from one of these countries to the other. Even though the popular theory was that these turtles originated from Jamaica, current geological evidence may suggest that they were in the Bahamas long before the Indigenous Lucayans first went to the Bahamian islands. There is also evidence from archeological sites on San Salvador that the Lucayans ate these turtles and transplanted them around the West Indies.
From the article Jamaican slider on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Jamaican sliders are freshwater turtles of moderate size. Males average at 200 millimetres (7.9 in) carapace length (CL) and females are larger at 270 millimetres (11 in) CL. The adults are a dark brown to olive colour with very faint markings. The juveniles are more clearly marked and these markings apparently disappear within the first three years.
Range & habitat
These are freshwater turtles, inhabiting most fresh to brackish wetlands throughout their range. This includes swamps, streams and ponds, even ephemeral or temporary ponds.
Wikipedia: “Habitat”
What it does
Typical omnivores, feeding on a variety of fruits particularly Pond-apple (Annona glabra) and other vegetation, small fish, snails, frogs, aquatic invertebrates, carrion and may even attack young birds if left defenseless. However, fecal samples have shown that aquatic algae form the bulk of their diet.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
At the table
These turtles were consumed by the Lucayans who lived in these regions. It is known that they are also eaten in the Bahamas, though this practice is declining. On islands such as Cat Island these turtles have also been kept as pets typically in wells and are referred to affectionately on that island as "Peter".
Wikipedia: “Uses”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Trachemys terrapen in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 39777.