Alabama red-bellied cooter

Alabama red-bellied cooter
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Testudines
Suborder:Cryptodira
Family:Emydidae
Genus:Pseudemys
Species: P. alabamensis
Binomial name
Pseudemys alabamensis
(Baur, 1893)[1]
Synonyms[3]
  • Pseudemys alabamensis Baur, 1893
  • Chrysemys ababamensis Ditmars, 1907 (ex errore)
  • Pseudemys rubriventris alabamensis Stejneger, 1938
  • Chrysemys rubriventris alabamensis Obst, 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.[4]

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[5] 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. However, when the turtles nest in late July, hatchlings may overwinter in the nest and emerge the following spring.

A mature female can be 14 inches, while a mature male can be 12 inches.[5]

Location

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

This turtle has also been found in south-eastern Mississippi,[6] in Harrison and Jackson counties.[5]

Protection

In 2007, a 3.4 miles (5.5 km) chain-link fence has been constructed along part of the US 98 causeway (Battleship Parkway) that separates the Mobile-Tensaw delta from Mobile Bay.[7] Hatchling deaths dropped 80% from 2007 to 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rhodin 2011, p. 000.181
  2. 1 2 3 Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). "Pseudemys alabamensis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 1996: e.T18458A97296493. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T18458A8295960.en. Retrieved 9 January 2018. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3)
  3. ↑ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 192. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Official Alabama Reptile". Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. 2001-07-12. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "{title}". Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  6. ↑ Southern Wonder: Alabama's Surprising Biodiversity by R. Scot Duncan, University of Alabama Press, 2013, page 367, ISBN 9780817357504
  7. ↑ http://baldwinreport.com/2007/11/14/turtle-protectors-on-the-causeway/

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