Suwannee alligator snapping turtle

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Suwannee alligator snapping turtle
Suwannee alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis).jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Chelydridae
Genus: Macrochelys
Species:
M. suwanniensis
Binomial name
Macrochelys suwanniensis
Thomas et al., 2014 [4]
Synonyms
  • Macrochelys suwannensisThomas et al., 2014 (Missp.)

The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) is a species of very large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it only inhabits the Suwannee River basin. [5] [6]

Contents

Taxonomy

It is one of only two known species in the genus Macrochelys , the other being the far more widespread alligator snapping turtle (M. temminckii); a third, the Apalachicola snapping turtle (M. apalachicolae), which was described alongside M. suwanniensis, is not thought to be distinct from M. temminckii and has been synonymized with it. It was previously believed to represent a population of Macrochelys temminckii, but a 2014 study found significant genetic divergence between the Suwannee population and M. temminckii, dating back to the late Miocene to early Pliocene, about 5.5 to 13.4 million years ago, and thus the Suwannee population was described as a distinct species, M. suwanniensis. [7]

Distribution and habitat

This species is only found in the Suwannee River basin, in southern Georgia and northern portions of peninsular Florida; it is allopatric with respect to M. temminckii, which inhabits river basins further to the west. It inhabits only riparian habitats such as rivers and their tributaries, but sometimes utilizes backwater swamps and oxbow lakes. Individuals found in inland lakes have likely been introduced. [8] In 2021, an individual was discovered within the Okefenokee Swamp, indicating that a previously-undocumented population of these turtles may inhabit the swamp. [9] Approximately 2,000 Suwanee alligator snapping turtles are believed to remain in the wild as of 2022, and the species still occupies much of its known historical range. [3]

Size

This species appears to exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males tending to be larger than females. In samples from six distinct ecological reaches running downstream between White Springs and Suwannee Estuary, mature females were found to have a straight-midline carapace length between 351-550 mm, while mature males had a straight-midline carapace length between 451-650 mm. Males found had an average straight-midline carapace of 552 ± 7.1 mm, carapace width of 458 ± 5.2 mm, plastron length of 400 ± 4.2 mm, head width of 177 ± 2.3 mm, tail length of 330 ± 4.1 mm, and mass of 38.0 ± 1.2 kg. In comparison, females had an average straight-midline carapace of 416 ± 7.5 mm, carapace width of 358 ± 6.7 mm, plastron length of 313 ± 6.3 mm, head width of 134 ± 3.7 mm, tail length of 292 ± 6.6 mm, and mass of 16.6 ± 0.8 kg. Environment appears to play a large role in size determination, as each ecological reach has various implications on average size and mass. [10]

Threats

Due to its slow generation time, the Suwanee alligator snapping turtle is highly vulnerable to direct stressors such as turtle hunting (illegal in Florida) and indirect stressors such as habitat destruction. [1] They are additionally at risk from ingesting discarded fishing tackle, baited hooks left on trotlines and from capture of juveniles in abandoned hoop nets used for baitfish or catfish fishing. [3] [11] They may experience mortality as bycatch during recreational and commercial freshwater fishing. [3] In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. [1] [11] [12] Effective July 29, 2024, the species gained protection as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. [3] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelydridae</span> Family of turtles

The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, Chelydra and Macrochelys. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are Acherontemys, Chelydrops, Chelydropsis, Emarginachelys, Macrocephalochelys, Planiplastron, and Protochelydra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common snapping turtle</span> Species of turtles

The common snapping turtle is a species of large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida. The present-day Chelydra serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande suggests that common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the seventeenth century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suwannee River</span> 396km (246mi) river in Florida and Georgia, USA

The Suwannee River is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about 246 miles (396 km) long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwanee Straits that separated the Florida peninsula from the Florida panhandle and the rest of the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alligator snapping turtle</span> Large freshwater turtle from the Eastern United States

The alligator snapping turtle is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest living freshwater turtles in the world. It is the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

<i>Macrochelys</i> Genus of turtles

Macrochelys is a genus of very large freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae, native to the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Only a single extant species was recognized until 2014, when a study divided it into two, or possibly three species. These turtles are easily recognized by three distinct dorsal ridges with raised spikes.

<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.

<i>Chelydra</i> Genus of turtles

Chelydra is one of the two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, the other being Macrochelys, the much larger alligator snapping turtle. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with Chelydra having three species, one in North America and two in Central America, one of which is also found in northwestern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western swamp turtle</span> Species of turtle

The western swamp turtle or western swamp tortoise is a critically endangered species of freshwater turtle endemic to a small portion of Western Australia. It is the only member of the genus Pseudemydura in the monotypic subfamily Pseudemydurinae.

The Namoi River snapping turtle, also commonly known as Bell's turtle, the Namoi River elseya, or Bell's saw-shelled turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to New South Wales, Australia.

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

The Oaxaca mud turtle is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Both the common name and the scientific name derive from Oaxaca, a Mexican state. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this species as "data deficient" as there is insufficient information available to judge its conservation status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian giant turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Malaysian giant turtle or Bornean river turtle is a species of turtle in the family Bataguridae. It is monotypic within the genus Orlitia. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Gulf snapping turtle or Lavaracks' turtle is a large species of freshwater turtle in the sidenecked family Chelidae. The species is endemic to northern Australia in northwest Queensland and northeast Northern Territory. The species, similar to other members of the Australian snapping turtles in genus Elseya, only comes ashore to lay eggs and bask. The Gulf snapping turtle is a herbivore and primarily consumes Pandanus and figs.

The Apalachicola snapping turtle is a proposed species that lives in the Apalachicola River, United States. The species can as well be found within other panhandle rivers within the states of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. It has traditionally been included as part of the widespread species M. temminckii, but an analysis in 2014 recommended treating it as distinct. A study published the following year considered this change unwarranted and recommended that M. apalachicolae should be considered a junior synonym of M. temminckii, and this is followed by the Reptile Database, IUCN's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, and the Committee On Standard English And Scientific Names. The Apalachicola snapping turtles and other species of snapping turtle have been classified as endangered due to human activity which is causing the destruction to their natural habitats

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

The Suwannee cooter is a subspecies of turtle in the genus Pseudemys. It is a subspecies of the river cooter. The species is endemic to Florida, including in the Suwannee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley E. Trauth</span>

Stanley E. Trauth is an American herpetologist and professor of zoology and environmental studies at Arkansas State University. He is also the curator of the herpetological collection of the Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology.

Pearl River Wildlife Management Area, also known as Pearl River WMA, is a 35,619 acres (14,414 ha) tract of protected area near Slidell in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. The WMA is managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)

Loggerhead turtle may refer to:

References

  1. 1 2 3 NatureServe (2024-08-02). "Macrochelys suwanniensis". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  2. "Suwannee alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Species Assessment Team, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Florida Ecological Field Services Office (2024-06-27). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Status for the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle with a Section 4(d) Rule". Federal Register. 89 (124): 53507–53528. 89 FR 53507
  4. Thomas, T. M.; Granatosky, M. C.; Bourque, J. R.; Krysko, K. L.; Moler, P. E.; Gamble, T.; Suarez, E.; Leone, E.; Enge, K. M.; Roman, J. (9 April 2014). "Taxonomic assessment of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States". Zootaxa. 3786 (2): 141–165. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3786.2.4. PMID   24869532.
  5. Stephenie Livingston (April 10, 2014). "Study shows 'dinosaurs of the turtle world' at risk in Southeast rivers". University of Florida News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  6. Joshua E. Brown (April 24, 2014). "Research splits alligator snapping turtle, 'dinosaur of the turtle world,' into three species". Phys.org.
  7. John R. Platt (April 17, 2014). "Alligator Snapping Turtles, the Dinosaurs of the Turtle World, Are Actually 3 at-Risk Species". Scientific American.
  8. Florida Natural Areas Inventory (2018). "Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle" (PDF).
  9. Chandler, Houston (2021-11-02). "Research Update: Exciting Developments from our Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle Projects". The Orianne Society. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  10. Thomas, Travis M.; Enge, Kevin M.; Suarez, Eric; Barry, Savanna C.; Johnson, Steve A. (2023-06-14). "Variation in Relative Abundance, Population Structure, and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in the Suwannee River". Southeastern Naturalist. 22 (sp12). doi:10.1656/058.022.0sp1216. ISSN   1528-7092.
  11. 1 2 "Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle Proposed Listing as Threatened". Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2021-04-06. Archived from the original on 2021-11-20.
  12. "Endangered Species Protection Proposed for Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle". Center for Biological Diversity (Press release). 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  13. Duran, Elena (2024-06-27). "Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle Gains Threatened Status". Turtle Survival Alliance. Retrieved 2024-07-22.