In the waters of one of the Belarusian cities settled dangerous reptiles
These reptiles, native to Mexico and the United States, belong to the invasive species and are among the hundred most dangerous: specialists of the Grodno Zoo warn that turtles can displace the swamp turtle, which is rare for Belarus.
Two lakes – in the city park of Lida and near the Lida Castle – have become popular holiday destinations for locals. The special attraction of the reservoirs is given by the fact that exotic red-eared turtles settled in them, BelTA reports.
Four red-eared turtles are seen in the park lake, two in the castle.
The homeland of these reptiles is considered to be Mexico and the United States. They are easily recognized by the characteristic bright red or orange stripes under the eyes. Experts classify red-eared turtles as invasive species and include in the list hundreds of the most dangerous.
The Grodno zoo explained that the main threat from red-eared turtles is their aggressiveness towards local species: there is a risk that they will displace the swamp turtle – a rare inhabitant of water bodies for Belarus. At the same time, experts believe that at the moment these turtles are not capable of causing serious damage to the ecosystem of Belarusian water bodies. The diet of reptiles is quite diverse: they eat small fish, fry, snails, worms, aquatic insects and their larvae - everything that can be found or caught in the lake.
Until 2022, red-eared turtles could be purchased in Belarusian pet stores, but now their maintenance and breeding at home is prohibited. The reason is that these reptiles need a large aquarium and abundant food. Owners who have managed to acquire such pets before 2022 have the right to continue keeping them. Probably, the turtles found in the Lida lakes were there because the former owners could not provide them with proper care and released into the natural environment.
According to the Grodno Zoo, red-eared turtles are able to tolerate Belarusian winters. Being cold-blooded animals, with a decrease in temperature, they fall into suspended animation and survive the cold, remaining in the water. The zoo itself contains about three dozen such turtles.
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Photo: Pixabay / is illustrative
