국내로 유입된 외래생물 붉은귀거북(Trachemys scripta elegans)의 자연적인 이동 첫 보고

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is the one of the most popular pets, and the most commonly traded species in the world. It is designated as an ecosystem disturbance species that has been managed in South Korea. To date, no reports of natural or anthropogenic migration and spreading of T. s. elegans in South Korea are available. In the present study, we estimated the expected route and the movable path of one female T. s. elegans found in Namsan-myun, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Based on the movable path, the potential destination of the female turtle was estimated to be about 282 m and 468 m away. Therefore, the moving distance of the red-eared slider to the nearest water system will be at least 606 m and at most 792 m. Our results provide the first evidence about the natural migration and spreading of exotic turtles. This study can serve as a basis for the management and countermeasures against the introduced of T. s. elegans and other exotic species in South Korea.