<P> Red - eared slider young look practically identical regardless of their sex, making it difficult to determine their sex . However, there is another method to determine their sex, by inspecting the markings under their carapace . These markings will fade as the turtles age . It is much easier to distinguish the sex of adults, as the shells of mature males are smaller than those of females . Male red - eared sliders reach sexual maturity when their carapaces diameter measure 10 cm (3.9 in) and females reach maturity when their carapaces measure 15 cm . Both male and females reach sexual maturity at five to six years . The male is normally smaller than the female, although this parameter is sometimes difficult to apply as individuals being compared could be of different ages . </P> <P> Males have longer claws on their front feet than the females; this helps them to hold on to a female during mating and is used during courtship displays . The male's tail is thicker and longer, it has a dark coloured retractable sexual organ known as their penis, inside the tail . Typically, the cloacal opening of the female is at or under the rear edge of the carapace, while the male's opening occurs beyond the edge of the carapace . The male's plastron is slightly concave, while that of the female is completely flat . The male's concave plastron also helps to stabilize the male on the female's carapace during mating . Older males can sometimes have a dark greyish - olive green melanistic coloration, with very subdued markings . The red stripe on the sides of the head may be difficult to see or be absent . The female's appearance is substantially the same throughout her life . </P> <P> The red - eared slider originated from the area around the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, in warm climates in the southeastern United States . Their native areas range from the southeast of Colorado to Virginia and Florida . In nature, they inhabit areas with a source of still, warm water, such as ponds, lakes, swamps, creeks, streams, or slow - flowing rivers . They live in areas of calm water where they are able to leave the water easily by climbing onto rocks or tree trunks so they can warm up in the sun . Individuals are often found sunbathing in a group or even on top of each other . They also require abundant aquatic plants, as these are the adults' main food, although they are omnivores . Turtles in the wild always remain close to water unless they are searching for a new habitat or when females leave the water to lay their eggs . </P> <P> Owing to their popularity as pets, red - eared sliders have been released or escaped into the wild in many parts of the world . The turtle is considered one of the world's worst invasive species . Feral populations are now found in Australia, Europe, South Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Israel, Bahrain, the Mariana Islands, Guam, and southeast and far - east Asia . In Australia, it is illegal for members of the public to import, keep, trade, or release red - eared sliders, as they are regarded as an invasive species - see below . Their import has been banned by the European Union as well as specific EU member countries . In 2015 Japan announced it was planning to ban the import of red - eared sliders, but it would probably not take effect until 2020 . Invasive red - eared sliders cause negative impacts in the ecosystems they occupy because they have certain advantages over the native populations, such as a lower age at maturity, higher fecundity rates, and larger body size, which gives them a competitive advantage at basking and nesting sites, as well as when exploiting food resources . They also transmit diseases and displace the other turtle species with which they compete for food and breeding space . </P>

Where do red ear slider turtles come from
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