«Finding this individual does not indicate that there is a functional, stable population of wild
alligator snapping turtles in Southern Illinois,» Kessler said.
Taxonomic assessment
of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States
The
Suwannee alligator snapping turtle is found in Florida and Georgia — and lives only in the famed Suwannee River; it has been a distinct species for at least five million years, the scientists discovered.
One morning, staff at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum discovered that Patsy, a 14 -
pound alligator snapping turtle, was alone in the 75 - gallon tank that she would soon outgrow.
Before making his public debut, Dante, a 13 - year -
old alligator snapping turtle (Macroclemys temminckii), needed to check in with the veterinary team at Shedd Aquarium.
The
Apalachicola alligator snapping turtle lives in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama — in and around the Apalachicola River — and developed as an independent species at least three million years ago.
«The incredibly detailed work of these researchers in bringing together the genetic, morphological, ecological, zoogeographic and paleontological data to clarify the relationships among the three
alligator snapping turtle species should be emulated by other systematists and conservation biologists.»
Locating any wild turtles in these counties will help determine the next steps — whether to preserve a population or reintroduce
more alligator snapping turtles in Illinois.
In October 2014, when Illinois Natural History Survey herpetologist Chris Phillips donned a wetsuit and dove to the bottom of Clear Creek in Union County, Illinois, he was looking for a young
male alligator snapping turtle with a radio transmitter on its back.
Phillips plucked from the water a 22 - pound, 15 - inch long
female alligator snapping turtle that was twice as long as the one he was looking for, and at least 18 years old.
For years, INHS researchers have conducted extensive trapping, and have called for citizen observations along Clear Creek for signs of
wild alligator snapping turtles, but to no avail.
Thomas said the species» survival remains a concern due to its restricted range and Florida law prohibits the possession, capture and pursuit
of alligator snapping turtles.
«They hardly ever come onto land, and they don't swim in seawater either,» he says, which helps explain how a distinct species arose, in the case of the
Suwannee alligator snapping turtle, in just one river.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Celeste Troon presents Patsy McNasty,
an alligator snapping turtle, on Jan. 19.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Celeste Troon prepares to place Patsy McNasty,
an alligator snapping turtle, in her new tank.
Alligator snapping turtle Patsy McNasty moved into a new 300 - gallon tank this week at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, where visitors attended a «housewarming» event for the 14 - pound turtle.
Jan. 20:
Alligator snapping turtle Patsy McNasty moved into a new 300 - gallon tank this week at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, where visitors attended a «housewarming» event for the 14 - pound turtle.
Until early in the 20th century,
alligator snapping turtles were plentiful from headwaters in the Midwest into swamps of the Deep South, but «river turtles were hit hard in the 1960s and 1970s,» Roman says.
Alligator snapping turtles are secretive and so slow - moving that algae grow on their backs.
In 2012, the Center for Biological Diversity and others filed a petition with the federal government to protect
the alligator snapping turtle and fifty - two other reptiles and amphibians, under the Endangered Species Act.
The alligator snapping turtle is the largest river turtle in North America, weighing in at up to 200 pounds and living almost a century.
Despite their heavy armor and fearsome jaws,
alligator snapping turtles have been decimated by habitat destruction, overharvesting, illegal pet trade, water pollution and other assaults.
«There are
no alligator snapping turtles in the seven rivers between the Suwannee and Ochlockonee (Aucilla, Econfina, Fenholloway, Saint Marks, Steinhatchee, Wacissa and Wakulla).
A new study appearing this week in the journal Zootaxa shows
the alligator snapping turtle, the largest freshwater turtle in the Western Hemisphere and previously believed to be one species, is actually three separate species.
Conservation of coastal rivers of the northern Gulf of Mexico is vital to the survival of
the alligator snapping turtle, including two recently discovered species, University of Florida scientists say.
Turtles — like
this alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii — are a diverse group of animals with a hotly contested evolutionary history.
«However, since no wild
alligator snapping turtles have been found in Illinois since 1984, reintroduction efforts make sense.»
Researchers were conducting their biannual catch - and - release program when they found the wild turtle, close to the same spot and 30 years, almost to the day, after their last wild
alligator snapping turtle was found.
Researchers were surprised to find a rare, wild
alligator snapping turtle in a creek in southern Illinois, the first found in the state since 1984.
«If we succeed with our project in introducing a new, viable population of
alligator snapping turtles, it's likely that no one will see them,» Phillips said.
Alligator snapping turtles can live 100 years, so the researchers working on this project today likely will not witness the advancing seasons of this female's life.
Snapping turtles and
alligator snapping turtles are fascinating creatures.
Feeding a puppy to
an alligator snapping turtle does not illustrate the «circle of life.»