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| Sighting of baby terrapin in London suggests first ever UK breeding | Sighting of baby terrapin in London suggests first ever UK breeding |
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| Terrapins, an invasive species and "voracious" devourer of British fish, newts, and even ducklings, may have bred in the UK for the first time due to the hot summer. | Terrapins, an invasive species and "voracious" devourer of British fish, newts, and even ducklings, may have bred in the UK for the first time due to the hot summer. |
| Red-eared terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) have been a feature of UK waterways since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze in the late 1980s prompted a rush of people to buy them as pets, only to dump them in ponds and rivers when they grew too big for fish tanks. | Red-eared terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) have been a feature of UK waterways since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze in the late 1980s prompted a rush of people to buy them as pets, only to dump them in ponds and rivers when they grew too big for fish tanks. |
| The turtles require high sustained temperatures to breed successfully, leading them to be classified as officially "not known to be reproducing in the wild" in the UK. But the discovery of one in London that is just a few weeks old has prompted ecologists to call for sightings of other juveniles to establish whether they have bred for the first time. | The turtles require high sustained temperatures to breed successfully, leading them to be classified as officially "not known to be reproducing in the wild" in the UK. But the discovery of one in London that is just a few weeks old has prompted ecologists to call for sightings of other juveniles to establish whether they have bred for the first time. |
| Kevin Jarvis, a biology graduate, found the juvenile on the Regent's canal and has named it Ninja. Leela O'Dea, an ecologist at the Canal and Rivers Trust who examined it, said the terrapin was no more than a month old and that she had never heard of terrapins breeding in the UK before. | Kevin Jarvis, a biology graduate, found the juvenile on the Regent's canal and has named it Ninja. Leela O'Dea, an ecologist at the Canal and Rivers Trust who examined it, said the terrapin was no more than a month old and that she had never heard of terrapins breeding in the UK before. |
| "They need sustained heat. For example, at 27C they would need 100 days [to breed successfully]. I don't think we were getting 100 days at 27C, but at 30C it would only need 60 days," she said. Looking at summer temperature records along the canal, she said "it was quite possible" it was born along the canal, given the number of micro habitats that get much hotter than where ambient temperatures are measured. | "They need sustained heat. For example, at 27C they would need 100 days [to breed successfully]. I don't think we were getting 100 days at 27C, but at 30C it would only need 60 days," she said. Looking at summer temperature records along the canal, she said "it was quite possible" it was born along the canal, given the number of micro habitats that get much hotter than where ambient temperatures are measured. |
| But she could not say conclusively whether it had been born somewhere along the canal, or dumped by someone. "If others turn up, then the likelihood is that they have been breeding." | But she could not say conclusively whether it had been born somewhere along the canal, or dumped by someone. "If others turn up, then the likelihood is that they have been breeding." |
| The red-eared terrapin is a native of the US, Mexico and many countries in south America. They grow to about 30cm across, or the size of a dinner plate, and are a powerful predator that eats native fish and amphibians. They can also carry the disease salmonella, and it is illegal to release them into the wild. | |
| But O'Dea said the fears over terrapins were overblown. "[Their population] levels are stable. They're not causing massive destruction to our ecosystems. I don't believe in wiping out non-native species for the sake of it. It is something we're concerned about, but we're not going to overreact at this stage. It's one extra terrapin, it's not going to break the camel's back." | But O'Dea said the fears over terrapins were overblown. "[Their population] levels are stable. They're not causing massive destruction to our ecosystems. I don't believe in wiping out non-native species for the sake of it. It is something we're concerned about, but we're not going to overreact at this stage. It's one extra terrapin, it's not going to break the camel's back." |
| She added: "We're not going to have a boom in terrapin numbers. It is an indication that if climate change continues, then the likelihood is that more non-native plants and animals will make a home in Britain." Ninja, she said, would be left alone for now. | She added: "We're not going to have a boom in terrapin numbers. It is an indication that if climate change continues, then the likelihood is that more non-native plants and animals will make a home in Britain." Ninja, she said, would be left alone for now. |
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