Invasives in the Water

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Written and narrated by Gavin Hankey, vertebrate zoologist at the Royal BC Museum.

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These floating boards are one of my favourite places.  I'm always on the lookout for red-eared turtles and American bullfrogs. Look carefully along the shore and in the floating vegetation. Sometimes all you'll see are a pair of bulging bullfrog eyes or the tip of a turtles snout. 

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Bullfrogs appeared in Victoria decades ago. Frogs legs were an experiment in a restaurant and it didn't prove popular. A few frogs were released and they spread rapidly. You can't miss bullfrog tadpoles. Their heads are the size of a ping pong ball. You can see them swimming along shore in summer. And they make such a commotion when they dive, that people mistake them for fishes. 

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The red-eared turtles are all abandoned pets, which outgrew their owners interest. Red-eared turtles nest here at Swan Lake. They come from a slightly warmer climate and our relatively short summers don't allow the eggs to develop before hatching. But it is only a matter of time before we have a long warm summer, a successful nest, and young turtles find their way back into the lake. If you see baby turtles, be sure to report it to the staff at the nature center.

 

Invasive species are species that are introduced here, that have spread very quickly, rapidly, and have a detrimental effect on our environment.

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Both frogs and turtles share the lake with another invasive species, the pumpkin seed. A colourful fish from Eastern North America, which is been here so long that we have no idea when it was first introduced. Pumpkin seeds can't be mistaken for any other fish here in BC. They're greenish on the back, but have an orange belly and a head with iridescent blue streaks. The gill cover has a black flap with a dash of scarlet.They rival tropical fish for colour. 

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It's unfortunate that the invasive species are here. And one of the threats is the introduction of disease. And we don't have any evidence of disease introduction here yet in a Swan Lake, but it is always possible. And the other issue I have is, if people see turtles or a fish from an aquarium released in British Columbia, it gives them the idea that it's okay to do that. And that's not really the case. No one should be releasing their pets. If you're tired of your pet, find a new home for it. Don't just dump it into the environment.

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Invasive species are a global problem. Not just here at Swan Lake. Nature Center Sanctuary. Once invasive species are released, it's really difficult to contain them. But you can help by reporting in basis species using the iNaturalist app. If you see something new report it. You may be the first to see something new here at the nature sanctuary.

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