I thought it odd; snapping turtle eggs don't hatch until mid June. And it didn't look quite like a snapping turtle, anyway. So I brought it home for a comparison to turtles I might find in various online identification guides.
I didn't find anything quite like it in the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation guide.
So I Googled "baby turtles with yellow bellies."
Bingo. There it was: a red-eared slider turtle. Never heard of it? Neither had I. And I can't say I had ever seen one before, either in Duane Lake or anywhere else. Maybe I just never paid attention until it crossed the road in front of me. But its markings were unmistakable.
It turns out it's the species of turtle most often sold in pet shops. I probably had one those many decades ago when I was a kid.
According to Wikipedia, it's on some list of the 100 most invasive species in the world, allegedly because it outcompetes native turtles for habitat and food.
I don't support the idea of dumping turtles or goldfish into our lake, but you're here. Welcome to Duane Lake, I say. We're all invasive species to one degree or another. But that's a topic for another day.
-- Alan Knight
