Alabama red-bellied cooter

Last updated

Alabama red-bellied cooter
Alabama red-bellied turtle US FWS cropped.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Pseudemys
Species:
P. alabamensis
Binomial name
Pseudemys alabamensis
(Baur, 1893) [1]
Pseudemys alabamensis range.png
Alabama red-bellied cooter range [3]
Synonyms [4]
  • Pseudemys alabamensisBaur, 1893
  • Chrysemys ababamensisDitmars, 1907(ex errore)
  • Pseudemys rubriventris alabamensisStejneger, 1938
  • Chrysemys rubriventris alabamensisObst, 1983

The Alabama red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to Alabama. [1] [2] It belongs to the turtle family Emydidae, the pond turtles. It is the official reptile of the state of Alabama. [5]

Contents

Life history

The red-belly inhabits the fresh to brackish waters of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Mobile and Baldwin counties. [2] It feeds on aquatic vegetation [6] and can be found sunning itself on logs. Nesting of the red-bellied turtle occurs from May through July. Female turtles lay their eggs on dry land, digging nests in sandy soil, where 4 to 9 eggs are laid. Hatchlings usually emerge during the summer. When the turtles nest in late July, hatchlings may overwinter in the nest and emerge the following spring.[ citation needed ]

A mature female can be 14 inches (360 mm), while a mature male can be 12 inches (300 mm). [6]

Location

As of June 2009 the turtle has been seen in the central part of Alabama, in the Elmore County region.[ citation needed ]

This turtle has also been found in south-eastern Mississippi, [7] in Harrison and Jackson counties. [6] It may also exist in northwest Florida. [2]

Protection

In 2007, a 3.4-mile (5.5 km) chain-link fence was constructed along part of the US 98 causeway (Battleship Parkway) that separates the Mobile-Tensaw delta from Mobile Bay. [8] Hatchling deaths dropped 80% from 2007 to 2008.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pseudemys</i> Genus of turtles

Pseudemys is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States and adjacent northeast Mexico. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from kuta, the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké languages, brought to America by enslaved people from Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida red-bellied cooter</span> Species of turtle

The Florida red-bellied cooter or Florida redbelly turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard tortoise</span> Species of tortoise

The leopard tortoise is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape Province. It is the only extant member of the genus Stigmochelys, although in the past, it was commonly placed in Geochelone. This tortoise is a grazing species that favors semiarid, thorny to grassland habitats. In both very hot and very cold weather, it may dwell in abandoned fox, jackal, or aardvark burrows. The leopard tortoise does not dig other than to make nests in which to lay eggs. Given its propensity for grassland habitats, it grazes extensively upon mixed grasses. It also favors succulents and thistles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemp's ridley sea turtle</span> Species of sea turtle

Kemp's ridley sea turtle, also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys. The species primarily occupies habitat around the Gulf of Mexico though their migrations into the Atlantic are being affected by rising temperatures. Kemp's ridley sea turtles are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and current conservation efforts attempt to rebuild population numbers. Human activity, including but not limited to habitat destruction, climate change, and oil spills, threaten populations.

<i>Chersobius signatus</i> Species of reptile

Chersobius signatus is the world's smallest species of tortoise. The species is commonly known as the speckled tortoise and also known locally as the speckled padloper and internationally as the speckled Cape tortoise. A member of the genus Chersobius, it is endemic to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth red-bellied turtle</span> Population of red-bellied turtle

The Plymouth red-bellied turtle, sometimes called the Plymouth red-bellied cooter, is a disjunct population of northern red-bellied cooter endemic to Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas river cooter</span> Species of turtle

The Texas river cooter is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to the U.S. state of Texas. It is found in the river basins of the Brazos, San Bernard, Colorado, Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, and their tributaries. It is one of three species of cooters (Pseudemys) occurring in Texas, including the Rio Grande cooter and the river cooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida softshell turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Florida softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is native to the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River cooter</span> Species of turtle

The river cooter is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States, but has been introduced into parts of California, Washington, and British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal plain cooter</span> Species of turtle

The coastal plain cooter or Florida cooter is a species of large herbivorous freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary River turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Mary River turtle is an endangered species of short-necked turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to the Mary River in south-east Queensland, Australia. Although this turtle was known to inhabit the Mary River for nearly 30 years, it was not until 1994 that it was recognised as a new species. There has been a dramatic decrease in its population due to low reproduction rates and an increase of depredation on nests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow mud turtle</span> Species of turtle

The yellow mud turtle, also commonly known as the yellow-necked mud turtle, is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the Central United States and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland slider</span> Subspecies of turtle

The Cumberland slider, also called commonly the Cumberland turtle and Troost's turtle, is a subspecies of pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The subspecies is indigenous to the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-knobbed map turtle</span> Species of turtle

The black-knobbed map turtle, formerly known as the black-knobbed sawback, is a small to medium-sized aquatic turtle with light gray skin. Some of the most distinguishing characteristics of the black-knobbed map turtle, and the Graptemys genus, are the protruding "spikes" on the turtle's carapace. This species inhabits mainly the fall lines of rivers in the Mobile Bay drainage, in Alabama and Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande cooter</span> Species of turtle

The Rio Grande cooter is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to northeastern Mexico and the adjacent southwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern red-bellied cooter</span> Species of turtle

The northern red-bellied turtle or American red-bellied turtle is a species of turtle in the Pseudemys (cooter) genus of the family Emydidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern river cooter</span> Subspecies of turtle

The eastern river cooter is a subspecies of turtle native to the eastern United States, with a smaller population in the midwest. It is found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied slider</span> Subspecies of turtle

The yellow-bellied slider is a subspecies of the pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia, and is the most common turtle species in its range. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds. Yellow-bellied sliders are popular as pets. They are a model organism for population studies due to their high population densities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped mud turtle</span> Species of turtle

The striped mud turtle is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula cooter</span> Species of turtle

The peninsula cooter is a species of freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the coastal plain cooter when that turtle is not itself considered a subspecies of the river cooter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (31 December 2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5: 000.181. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (2016) [errata version of 1996 assessment]. "Pseudemys alabamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996: e.T18458A97296493. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T18458A8295960.en . Retrieved 25 July 2024. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3)
  3. U.S. Geological Survey (2017). "Alabama Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) rARBCx_CONUS_2001v1 Range Map". Gap Analysis Project. doi:10.5066/F7Z31XTN.
  4. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 192. doi: 10.3897/vz.57.e30895 . S2CID   87809001.
  5. "Official Alabama Reptile". Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. 12 July 2001. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 "Alabama – Great Days Outdoors Magazine Fishing, Hunting – Dedicated to Sportsmen and Their Families". Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  7. Southern Wonder: Alabama's Surprising Biodiversity by R. Scot Duncan, University of Alabama Press, 2013, page 367, ISBN   9780817357504
  8. "Turtle protectors on the Causeway – BaldwinReport.com". baldwinreport.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.