Invasive ‘stripe-necked’ species found on Greek island for first time. See it
On an island in eastern Greece, a trio of “stripe-necked” creatures bobbed in a pond and basked in the sun. Their presence caught the attention of passing scientists — and for good reason.
They turned out to be the first local record of a “worrisome” invasive species.
A team of researchers visited Lesvos, “the third largest island in Greece,” in August 2024 to survey wildlife, according to an article published Aug. 11 in the peer-reviewed journal Herpetozoa.
While visiting a “medium-sized artificial pond” known as the “Terrapin pool,” the team saw three out-of-place turtles and identified the animals as Chinese stripe-necked turtles, the article said.
The Chinese stripe-necked turtle, or Mauremys sinensis, is a pond turtle native to Asia and commonly kept as pets around the world, researchers said. In Europe, the species is considered invasive but has become more popular in the pet trade in recent years due regulations banning another pond turtle species.
Photos show one of the Chinese stripe-necked turtles seen on Lesvos.
“Lesvos Island has been heavily monitored in the past,” and the recent sighting is the first time Chinese stripe-necked turtles have been found on the island, the article said.
In general, pond turtles “have a high introduction risk and are either released intentionally by reptile keepers or accidentally escape their enclosures, making their way to nature,” researchers said. “There, they can successfully establish populations, often outcompeting native species.”
On Lesvos, there are two native turtle species, the Western Caspian turtle and the European pond turtle, both of which were found at the Terrapin pool along with the invasive turtles, the article said and a photo shows.
Researchers described the presence of invasive Chinese stripe-necked turtles as “worrisome” and encouraged “swift action to assess the population status” as well as their “timely removal and further preventative measures.”
Lesvos is in eastern Greece and closer to mainland Turkey than mainland Greece.
The research team included Dionisios Iakovidis, Nikolaos Gogolos and Thomas Daftsios.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Invasive ‘stripe-necked’ species found on Greek island for first time. See it."
