In 1984 a new comic books was produced as a parody of the current superhero comics. This new comic was called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). In the following years TMNT grew in popularity with comics, cartoons and motion pictures, even a show at Disney/MGM. However one of the greatest impacts of this phenomenon was a result of a revelation in the second column of Tales of the TMNT comic book. In that issue it was revealed that the turtles were Red-Eared Slider.
In the United States turtles as pets have been outlawed since the '70s (this is in the process of changing now) due to risk of salmonella. However in the UK turtles were acceptable pets, and the popularity of TMNT created a large demand for red-eared sliders. It is believed that when owners became tired of their pets they released them into the wild or flushed them down the toilet. Once in the wild they flourished.
The turtle is native to Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland Valleys of the United Stated. The turtle is highly adaptable, and can hibernate in winter. They are become aggressive meat eaters, and can hybridize with native turtles damaging the integrity of the native species. As of today the red-eared slider is considered one of the top 100 most invasive species today.
-Professor Walter
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