Alabama red-bellied cooter

Alabama red-bellied cooter
	This turtle was sitting on the bank of Mobile Bay.
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
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)
	Alabama red-bellied cooter range
Synonyms
	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.^[5]

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]}

Gallery

Hatchling
Hatchling, plastron
Hatchling, carapace view

References

^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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)
^ U.S. Geological Survey (2017). "Alabama Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) rARBCx_CONUS_2001v1 Range Map". Gap Analysis Project. doi:10.5066/F7Z31XTN.
^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 192. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. S2CID 87809001.
^ "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.
^ ^a ^b ^c "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.
^ Southern Wonder: Alabama's Surprising Biodiversity by R. Scot Duncan, University of Alabama Press, 2013, page 367, ISBN 9780817357504
^ "Turtle protectors on the Causeway – BaldwinReport.com". baldwinreport.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.

External links

Save the Alabama Red-bellied turtle—Alabama red-bellied turtle alliance

[Rhodin11-1] 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.

[Redlist-2] 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.

[Fritz2007-4] 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.

[gdomag.com-6] "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.

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