The Alabama red-bellied cooter (''Pseudemys alabamensis'') or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
.
It belongs to the turtle family
Emydidae
Emydidae (Latin (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek (, "appearance, resemblance")) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or mar ...
, the pond turtles. It is the
official reptile of the state of Alabama.
Life history
The red-belly inhabits the fresh to brackish waters of the
Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in
Mobile and
Baldwin
Baldwin may refer to:
People
* Baldwin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills, ...
counties.
It feeds on aquatic vegetation
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.
A mature female can be , while a mature male can be .
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, in Harrison and Jackson counties.
It may also exist in northwest Florida.
Protection
In 2007, a chain-link fence was constructed along part of the
US 98
U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola and Apalachicola, ...
causeway (
Battleship Parkway
Battleship Parkway, commonly referred to locally and in the media as the "Causeway", is a long causeway that carries US 90 and US 98 eastbound across Mobile Bay from the Bankhead Tunnel on Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama to Spanish Fort, A ...
) that separates the Mobile-Tensaw delta from
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...
.
Hatchling deaths dropped 80% from 2007 to 2008.
Gallery
File:Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling climbing up hand.JPG, Hatchling
File:Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling plastron view.jpg, Hatchling, plastron
The turtle shell is a shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles (the Order (biology), order Testudines), completely enclosing all the turtle's vital organs and in some cases even the head. It is constructed of modified bony elements such ...
File:Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling, carapace view.jpg, Hatchling, carapace view
References
External links
Save the Alabama Red-bellied turtle€”Alabama red-bellied turtle alliance
{{Taxonbar, from=Q597376
Pseudemys
Endemic reptiles of the United States
Reptiles described in 1893
ESA endangered species
Taxa named by Georg Baur
Symbols of Alabama