Non-Native species in the UK

[stuartdouglas]

All the animals listed below are classed as non-native species and are breeding in the UK.
If anyone can add to this list it would be handy, and if they can identify where these species are likely to be found that would be cool too

North American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana
Marsh frog Rana ridibunda
Edible frog Rana esculenta
Pool Frog Rana lessonae
European Tree frog Hyla arborea
Fire Bellied Toad Bombina sp
Midwife toad Alytes obstetrica
African Clawed Toad Xenopus laevis
Alpine Newt Triturus alpestris
Italian Crested Newt Triturus carnifex

Red eared terrapin Trachemys scripta
Stripe necked terrapin Mauremys caspica
Snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina
Painted turtle Chrysemis picta


Aesculapian snake Elaphe longissima

[Graham]

Where did you get the information that all those turt species were breeding in the UK?

I have never found a substantiated case of turts breeding in the wild in the UK, eggs being laid maybe but not hatching in the wild, it has always been my understanding that it doesn't remain warm enough for long enough for the eggs to incubate successfully here.

I would be extremely interested to hear of any proven cases of this happening.

[Storm Python]

Good thread mate.
some woodland/farmland near Lewes in east sussex have a collony of king snakes that are thriving.
A local farmer had a problem with a rodent infestation & released a few king to eat them & there still alive & breading by all accounts i know a few people personally who have caught a few.

Also iv'e been told that there is at least 1 ''croc'' (no idea what species) in the marsh land near the lotbridge drove area of eastbourne but thats not 100%

The kings how ever are deffinatly there.

[HABU]

Male snapping turtles mature at 3 to 5 years and females at 4 to 6 years. Mating usually takes place in water early in the
summer. Although snapping turtles breed in the water, their eggs are laid on land. Female snapping turtles often have
traditional nesting areas and they are known to journey 10 miles (16 km) in order to reach the nesting site. Twenty to 30 eggs
are laid in a hole in moist soil about 4 to 7 inches (10 -18 cm) deep that is dug with their hind legs. The eggs are round,
shelled, and about an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, about the size of a small golf ball. Once the eggs are laid, the female turtle
has completed her maternal tasks and returns to her pond or stream.
The turtle eggs often hatch in the fall after an incubation of 2 to 3 months. If the eggs are laid late in the season, they may not
hatch until the following spring. The incubation temperature of the eggs determines the sex of the hatchlings. Males result if
the eggs are maintained within the temperature range of 72 to 82 degrees F. (22-28 degrees C). Snapping turtle eggs produce
more females at incubation temperatures outside of this range. As soon as they have hatched, the young turtles make their
way to water. They grow quickly and may reach 6 inches (15 cm) in shell length within their first year. Many of the
hatchlings become prey to raccoons, skunks, snakes, bullfrogs, herons, and other large birds.

[HABU]

painted turtles
Nesting occurs from late May to mid-July. The female prepares a flask-shaped nest in slightly moist loamy or sandy soil at a sunny site near water. The number of eggs laid varies from 2 to 20, differing among the subspecies. Incubation in nature and in captivity averages 76 days.
The influence of incubation temperature on hatchling gender is well-documented in painted turtles. Eggs incubated at relatively higher temperatures (87°F, 30.5°C) produce female hatchlings; lower incubation temperatures (77°F, 25°C) produce male hatchlings. At the pivotal temperature of 84°F (29°C), both males and females are produced.
Hatchlings emerge from the egg with the help of the caruncle or eggtooth. The caruncle drops off a few days after hatching. The hatchlings have a keeled shell and an abdominal fold, both of which disappear as they grow. Their shell pigmentation and markings are brighter and more pronounced than those of adults. They mature about five years after hatching and are thought to live as long as 20 years.
Wild hatchlings may overwinter in the nest. The inch-long (2.5 cm) hatchlings can survive being frozen! Adult painted turtles are also cold tolerant, and have been observed swimming under ice. Most painted turtles become dormant in the colder winter months. They burrow into the mud of their pond or seek muskrat burrows or other suitable shelter. While dormant, their need for oxygen is greatly decreased, and they can absorb sufficient oxygen for their needs from the water through their skin, throat linings and thin-walled sacs in the anal area.
Since painted turtles range so extensively, they are found from the coldest-winter to the warmest-winter regions of the United States. The more northerly subspecies brumate regularly and for a longer period than their southern cousins. It is possible that southern and western painted turtles living in the most southerly reaches of their ranges do not brumate.

[Declan123]

Corns

hahah

[ishotthesherifswife]

Mandarin ducks and american cray fish

[Declan123]

Canadian Geese

[pollywog]

All the animals listed below are classed as non-native species and are breeding in the UK.

Pool Frog Rana lessonae

Rana Lessonae are native and have been re-introduced to the UK.

If anyone can add to this list it would be handy, and if they can identify where these species are likely to be found that would be cool too

I could add to the list and I could tell you where populations can be found but I wont. I don't think publishing such details on an open forum for all to see is a good idea; A) Who is to say that some of these are not actually remaining populations of native species? B) It's fuel for animal rights groups. C) It's encouraging people to go catch themselves some free pets. D) It's encouraging people to go and dump more unwanted pets in that area thinking that they are ok to do so as they are already present.

[llama_girl]

Grey Squirrels...