The Alabama red-bellied cooter (''Pseudemys alabamensis'') or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
.
It belongs to the turtle family
Emydidae
Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...
, 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
Mobile may refer to:
Places
* Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city
* Mobile County, Alabama
* Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S.
* Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Mobile ( ...
and
Baldwin 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.
Protection
In 2007, a chain-link fence has been 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 and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...
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, ...
) 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. The ...
.
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
File:Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling, carapace view.jpg, Hatchling, carapace view
References
External links
Save the Alabama Red-bellied turtleAlabama red-bellied turtle alliance
{{Taxonbar, from=Q597376
Pseudemys
Endemic fauna of the United States
Reptiles described in 1893
ESA endangered species
Taxa named by Georg Baur
Reptiles of the United States
Symbols of Alabama