Did you know that L.A.’s native turtle is a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act? “If we don’t take action then they will disappear,” one biologist said.
Ask us your questions about L.A. and CaliforniaOnce upon a time, the native southwestern pond turtle “used to be all through the rivers and streams of the greater L.A. basin,” said Brad Shaffer, director of the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Zooming out, if L.A. County’s native turtles are imperiled, then the future of the southwestern pond turtle species could be jeopardized. Eventually, if too many animal species disappear, Earth’s ecosystems could be thrown out of balance.Generally speaking, “the turtles that we see in pretty much every urban park pond are turtles that were once somebody’s pet and then were abandoned.
It’s illegal to release turtles — or any aquatic plant or animal — into California waterways. But the damage has been done — in California and far beyond. “One of their keys to success is they’re a real generalist species,” Shaffer said. “They’ll eat almost anything” and are capable of nesting in “a whole variety of different places” — including parks and other public spaces in Los Angeles. If a sprinkler turns on and gets the eggs wet, the egg can survive — unlike the eggs of native pond turtles in Southern California.But despite their adaptability and strong population numbers, life is far from perfect for red-eared sliders that live in L.A.
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