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What the sources say

Red-Eared SliderTrachemys scripta elegans

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Red-Eared Slider profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 46 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Trachemys scripta (pond slider). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysWhether a slider hatches male or female depends on how warm its nest was
The source saysDetermination of the sex of hatchlings in a nest is temperature-dependent.
The page saysPonds, lakes, rivers and swamps with places to bask
The source saysThey can be found in waterbodies that hold water year-round, like ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, lagoons, and streams. ... Slider turtles are found in shallow, slow-moving water that has diverse vegetation and nearby places to bask.
The page saysfrom Alabama to northern Mexico
The source saysRed-eared sliders, Trachemys scripta elegans, range from Alabama south to northern Mexico.
The page saysJuveniles eat mostly animals
The source saysJuvenile slider turtles are mostly carnivorous.
The page saysadults eat mostly water and land plants, plus algae
The source saysThey feed mostly on aquatic plants and terrestrial plant material like stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds. They also consume algae regularly.
The page saysNest temperature decides its sex
The source saysDetermination of the sex of hatchlings in a nest is temperature-dependent.
The page saysnests below 28.6 degrees Celsius hatch all males, and nests above 29.6 degrees Celsius hatch all females
The source saysNests that are below 28.6 degrees Celsius develop as all males. Nests that are above 29.6 degrees Celsius develop as all females.
The page saysIn between you get a mix
The source saysNests at temperatures within this range develop as a mix of males and females.
The page saysThey live in shallow, slow water with varied plants and places to bask
The source saysSlider turtles are found in shallow, slow-moving water that has diverse vegetation and nearby places to bask.
The page saysSliders' bright yellow and red markings have been shown to be aposematic
The source saysThe bright yellow and red markings on slider turtles have been shown to be aposematic.
The page saysSliders range from 10 to 29 cm long, and females tend to be the bigger sex
The source saysSlider turtles range from 10-29 cm in length and exhibit sexual dimorphism; females tend to be larger than males.
The page saysfemales can reach 3,200 grams
The source saysFemales can reach a mass of up to 3,200 grams.
The page saysYoung sliders are mostly carnivorous, eating insects, crayfish, tadpoles and snails
The source saysJuvenile slider turtles are mostly carnivorous. They feed on insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, larvae, spiders, crayfish, tadpoles, fish, clams, freshwater sponges, snails
The page saysGrown sliders become omnivores and eat mostly plants from water and land, plus algae
The source saysAs they mature, they experience an ontogenetic shift and become omnivores. Adult slider turtles develop a microflora in their digestive tracts that allow them to break down plants. They feed mostly on aquatic plants and terrestrial plant material like stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds. They also consume algae regularly.
The page saysAdult stomachs in a southern Illinois study held more than 40 percent plant material
The source saysA study of wild-caught slider turtles in southern Illinois found subtle differences between the diets of males and females. Dreslik (1999), found that the stomachs of adult sliders contained more than 40% plant material.
The page saysA male uses his foreclaws to make underwater vibrations near a female's eyes
The source saysThis is a ritualistic display of the males' foreclaws. It involves using the foreclaws to make underwater vibrations near the eyes of females.
The page saysThe red-eared slider is native from Alabama south to northern Mexico
The source saysRed-eared sliders, Trachemys scripta elegans, range from Alabama south to northern Mexico.
The page sayshave been introduced onto nearly every continent
The source saysSliders have been introduced through pet releases onto nearly every continent.
The page saysPond sliders, the species the red-eared slider belongs to, measure 10 to 29 cm
The source saysSlider turtles range from 10-29 cm in length
The page saysFemales tend to be the larger sex
The source saysfemales tend to be larger than males.
The page saysEvery egg in a nest warmer than 29.6 degrees Celsius develops female, while a nest cooler than 28.6 degrees Celsius produces only males
The source saysNests that are below 28.6 degrees Celsius develop as all males. Nests that are above 29.6 degrees Celsius develop as all females.Note: paraphrase: warmer/cooler for above/below, only males for all males
The page saysan average adult female shell is 25.4 cm
The source saysAverage female shell length in adulthood is 25.4 cm.
The page saysan average male shell is 17.78 cm
The source saysAverage male shell length in adulthood is 17.78 cm.
The page saysand introduced onto nearly every continent
The source saysSliders have been introduced through pet releases onto nearly every continent.
The page sayslargemouth bass avoid sliders because of their bright warning colors
The source saysBritson concluded that largemouth bass, that rely almost solely on visual cues to hunt, avoid sliders because of bright warning colors found on their plastrons and skin.Note: 'almost solely' qualifies bass hunting by sight; the body reports the study's conclusion, which the quote states
The page saysSex in a slider egg depends on the heat of its nest
The source saysDetermination of the sex of hatchlings in a nest is temperature-dependent.
The page saysOmnivore
The source saysAs they mature, they experience an ontogenetic shift and become omnivores.
The page saysan adult female's shell averages 25.4 cm against a male's 17.78 cm
The source saysAverage female shell length in adulthood is 25.4 cm. ... Average male shell length in adulthood is 17.78 cm.
The page saysfemales can weigh up to 3,200 grams
The source saysFemales can reach a mass of up to 3,200 grams.
The page saysBecause heat sets the sex
The source saysDetermination of the sex of hatchlings in a nest is temperature-dependent.Note: 'Because' answers the FAQ's why-question; the quote states sex determination is temperature-dependent
The page saysBetween the two, a nest hatches mostly females with some males
The source saysNests that are above 28.6 degrees Celsius but below 29.6 degrees Celsius will have a high proportion of females, but males will be present.
The page saysIn a pond slider's nest, heat sets the sex: below 28.6 degrees Celsius the eggs develop as all males, above 29.6 degrees all females
The source saysNests that are below 28.6 degrees Celsius develop as all males. Nests that are above 29.6 degrees Celsius develop as all females.

Source
02

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-eared Slider). USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database.

The page saysa broad red or orange stripe behind each eye
The source saysthe Red-eared Slider, has a unique, broad red or orange (rarely yellow) stripe behind each eye
The page saysthey compete with native species for food and basking sites
The source saysTrachemys scripta compete with indigenous species for food and basking sites
The page saysSliders rarely leave the water except to bask
The source saysPond sliders are aquatic, omnivorous generalists, which rarely leave water except to bask
The page saysSliders spread mainly through pet releases and escapes, which peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze
The source saysintroduced primarily through pet releases and escapes; a situation which has continued for several decades since the 1930s, reaching a peak during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle television cartoon craze of the late 1980s-early 1990s

Source
03

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

AnAge entry for Trachemys scripta. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysup to 30 years in the wild
The source saysIn the wild these animals live up to 30 years.
The page saysup to 41.3 years in captivity
The source saysMaximum longevity 41.3 years (captivity)
The page saysA slider can live up to 30 years in the wild, and up to 41.3 years in captivity
The source saysMaximum longevity 41.3 years (captivity) ... In the wild these animals live up to 30 years.

Source
04

Ge et al. 2018

Ge et al. (2018). The histone demethylase KDM6B regulates temperature-dependent sex determination in a turtle species. Science.

The page saysuses temperature-dependent sex determination
The source saysthe individual's sex is determined by the ambient temperature during egg incubation
The page saysknocking it down at 26 degrees Celsius, a temperature that normally gives all males, turned more than 80 percent of surviving embryos female
The source saysKnockdown of Kdm6b at 26°C (a temperature at which all offspring develop into males) triggers male-to-female sex reversal in >80% of surviving embryos.
The page saysa gene called Kdm6b changes its activity with temperature in the early embryo
The source saysKDM6B exhibits temperature-dependent sexually dimorphic expression in early T. scripta embryos

Source
05

Willmore & Storey 1997

Willmore & Storey (1997). Antioxidant systems and anoxia tolerance in a freshwater turtle Trachemys scripta elegans. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.

The page saysred-eared sliders spent 20 hours underwater at 5 degrees Celsius with no oxygen, and measured damage products showed minimal changes
The source saysThe effects of anoxic submergence (20 h at 5 degrees C) ... Measurements of lipid peroxidation damage products (conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) showed minimal changes during anoxia or recovery

Source
06

Dijk, Harding & Hammerson 2011

Dijk, Harding & Hammerson (2011). Trachemys scripta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T22028A97429935.

The page saysThe pond slider species was rated Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in 2011
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: 2011 is the assessment year in the cited DOI and title (iucn.uk.2011-1); GBIF's copy shows it is still the current category
The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).
The page saysThe IUCN Red List's 2011 assessment of the pond slider, the species the red-eared slider belongs to, put it in Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: 2011 is the assessment year in the cited DOI and title (iucn.uk.2011-1)

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.