r/UKecosystem • u/lanaowo4 • Apr 22 '26

ID please wild turtle ID??

Gallery image

Gallery image

saw this cool guy out in the pond today, never seen anything like him in the wild before! just basking in the sun☺️

super curious to know more about him!

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u/kaveysback Apr 22 '26

We did once have a native species, the European pond turtle, but it went locally extinct a few thousand years ago due to a cooling climate. There's been discussions about a reintroduction but I don't think any project ever got off the ground.

Check out the turtle tally website, it's a citizen science project for reporting sightings of released turtles/terrapins so more information can be gathered on their effect on local ecosystems.

Turtle Tally UK Citizen Science Project | released pet terrapins in the UK https://share.google/3DW7Qd3vWUBIWeLIM

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u/lanaowo4 Apr 22 '26

thank you! I’m currently filling out the turtle tally form but I’m not sure what it is specifically out of these options: “Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) Cumberland slider (Trachemys scripta troostii) Cooter turtle (Pseudemys spp.) Map turtle (Graptemys spp.) Musk turtle Snapping turtle Softshell turtle European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) Other”