Have you ever seen an "old turtle"?
In the eighties and nineties, there were a lot of turtles in rural rivers, but gradually, people found that their numbers were getting smaller and smaller, and even disappeared.
However, I don't know when it began, the number of old turtles in the wild has become more and more, and even the size has become larger and larger.
What's going on here?
From "unappreciated" to "rare"
The old turtle we call is actually a soft-shelled turtle, although the two names are different, but they are talking about the same animal.
In the past, in the countryside, whether it was a small river ditch or a small canal, you could see the figure of the old turtle.
People who have experienced the eighties and nineties should have had the same experience in their childhood, that is, jumping into the river to catch fish, and if they are lucky, they will catch the old turtle.
In fact, the turtle is actually a cold-blooded animal, and they generally live in a relatively dark and damp environment, so people can often find the turtle in the mud pool by the pool.
However, occasionally, the turtles will also go out to bask in the sun, and at this time, people are likely to see many turtles on the shore.
It can be said that in the water, the old turtle is an invincible existence, no animal can hurt it, and it also has a very strong ability to protect itself.
If the temperature drops sharply, then the turtle will dig a hole and hide it inside, even if it does not eat or drink for half a year, it will not starve to death, which is actually a bit similar to the hibernation of snakes.
Not only that, the old turtle also has a very strong reproductive ability, basically as long as it mates, it can lay eggs, and the number of eggs laid at a time is basically 10-30, and the eggs of the old turtle do not need to be hatched.
However, I don't know when people found that the turtle could be eaten, so they began to catch them in large quantities, coupled with the expansion of people's activities, the water resources in the wild gradually decreased, which also led to the change of the living environment of the turtle.
Over time, the number of turtles began to gradually decrease, and even reached the point of "extinction", the turtles we see now are basically artificially bred, and wild turtles are rare.
In the past, if people went to the field to do farm work, it was actually common to see the old turtle, but now, it is rare to see the old turtle.
However, some people have found that I don't know when the number of old turtles in the wild has begun to rise again, and even become more and more, what is going on?
Dozens of pounds of "alien species"
In 2023, Litchi News reported that a woman in Jiangsu was fishing and accidentally found that she had caught a "soft-shelled turtle", so she reported it to the local wildlife department.
However, after research by the wild department, it was found that this is not the so-called "soft-shelled turtle", but an alien species "Florida soft-shelled turtle".
There are many similar things, and the old turtle that was about to disappear has once again appeared in people's sight.
However, after testing, the old soft-shelled turtles that people are catching now are not actually the old soft-shelled turtles native to the mainland, and they are not the same thing as the old soft-shelled turtles in the eighties and nineties.
The old soft-shelled turtle we see now is actually an invasive alien species: the Florida soft-shelled turtle.
In terms of size alone, the Florida soft-shelled turtle is completely different from the old soft-shelled turtle on the mainland.
You must know that the weight of the old turtle on the mainland is basically four or five catties, which is already very large, but the weight of the Florida soft-shelled turtle can easily grow to twenty or thirty catties.
The appearance of the Florida soft-shelled turtle is actually very related to the disappearance of the native turtle in the mainland.
You know, the Florida soft-shelled turtle is an animal native to the United States.
Because the Florida turtle looks very honest and has a very docile temperament, as early as the 80s, some European countries have introduced it to their own countries for ornamentation, and some people keep it as a pet.
Since then, many countries have introduced Florida soft-shelled turtles to help them control weeds and pests in a particular area of water.
In the nineties, the mainland introduced the Florida soft-shelled turtle from abroad.
At that time, the purpose of the introduction was actually to fill the market vacancy of the mainland's native turtles.
Due to the large number of people catching the old turtle, its population has declined dramatically, and it is even on the verge of extinction.
At this time, the Florida soft-shelled turtle in the United States appeared in everyone's field of vision, this soft-shelled turtle grows very fast, and the meat yield is also high, it can be said that the economic value is very high, is the first choice of farmers.
From the point of view of facts, the Florida soft-shelled turtle is indeed very powerful, and one Florida soft-shelled soft-shelled turtle is worthy of four or five native old soft-shelled turtles in the mainland.
However, we have overlooked one thing, and that is the ability of the Florida softshell turtle to reproduce and survive.
The most successful turtle in the invasion of the mainland
In the process of breeding, in fact, the most unavoidable thing is "sneaking away", and the Florida turtle is no exception.
In an inadvertent moment, it sneaks out directly, and with its strong adaptability to the environment, the Florida turtle can even "dominate" in the waters.
The small fish, earthworms, insects, etc. in the water are almost all on the recipe of the Florida turtle, here, it does not need to think about what to do if it is not full, its huge size, basically invincible in the water.
In addition, it is an alien species, and after arriving on the mainland, it has no natural enemies, and almost everywhere it goes, "no grass grows".
Unlike the native turtle on the mainland, the Florida soft-shelled turtle can adapt to any water quality conditions, and even in dry places, they can live directly ashore.
Not only that, the reproduction ability of the Florida soft-shelled turtle is much higher than that of the native soft-shelled turtle in the mainland, and even the survival rate and growth rate are slightly better.
It can be said that once the Florida soft-shelled turtle lays eggs, it will not be long before the small Florida soft-shelled turtle becomes a new predator and then begins the next round of reproduction.
It is precisely because of this that the Florida turtle has flooded directly on the mainland.
Relevant data show that the distribution of Florida soft-shelled turtles in the mainland has been very widespread, and even the Yellow River and Yangtze River have appeared in their figures.
If left unchecked, it threatens the survival of other animals in the water.
In order to solve this problem, the mainland has also taken a lot of measures to control it, such as artificial capture and extermination.
If we see a Florida soft-shelled turtle in the wild, we must notify the relevant authorities for treatment.
Some people say that since they have come to China, the end result must be a delicacy on the table, after all, Chinese foodies are very famous.
The Florida soft-shelled turtle is also edible, after all, when it was first introduced, it was meant to be edible, and its taste is very delicious, and the volume is large, so it must be very enjoyable to eat.
However, the Florida soft-shelled turtles that appear on our table are actually from artificial breeding, like this wild Florida soft-shelled turtle, in fact, few people eat it, after all, the living environment in the wild is very complex, and the safety of wild Florida soft-shelled turtles cannot be guaranteed.
If there are any bacteria or viruses on it, the consequences are unimaginable.