Red-eared slider

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), also known as the red-eared terrapin, is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of the pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and is also the most commonly traded turtle in the world. Native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, it has become established in other places because of pet releases, and has become an invasive species in many areas, where it outcompetes native species. The red-eared slider is included in the list of the world's 100 most invasive species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Red-eared slider in The War Between the Provinces
Red-eared turtles were common in the northern provinces of Detina. Serfs, impoverished by heavy dues to their feudal lords, hunted red-eared turtles as a cheap food source. Turtle stew was known to be very tasty.

Rollant often ate turtle soup in his days as a serf in Palmetto Province. After he fled southward to New Eborac City, he learned that southron people were disgusted by the very idea of eating turtle, and this dietary taboo eventually rubbed off on him.