Chicken turtle
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The chicken turtle (''Deirochelys reticularia'') is a
turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
native to the
southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
. It is the only extant member of the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Deirochelys ''Deirochelys'' is a genus of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae, the pond and marsh turtles. It contains one extant species, the chicken turtle (''Deirochelys reticularia''), which is native to the southeastern United States. A second ext ...
'' and is a member of the freshwater marsh 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 chicken turtle's scientific name refers to its extremely long neck and distinctive net-like pattern on its upper shell. There are three regionally distinct
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
(eastern, western and
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
), which are thought to have evolved when populations became separated during periods of
glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...
. These subspecies can be distinguished by their appearance; the western chicken turtle displays dark markings along the seams of its plastron (lower shell), while the plastron of the Florida subspecies is a bright yellow or orange color. Fossil records show that the chicken turtle has been present in the region for up to five million years. Chicken turtles inhabit shallow, still or slow-moving bodies of water with plenty of vegetation and a muddy substrate. They are not found in rivers or deeper lakes that may be home to predators such as alligators and large fish. The chicken turtle is predominantly carnivorous and feeds mostly on invertebrates such as crayfish, dragonflies and spiders, but is also known to eat tadpoles, carrion and occasionally plant material. It is an active hunter and its long neck allows it to catch fast-moving prey. Although feeding and mating take place in aquatic environments, the chicken turtle is very well adapted to living
on land ''Ambient 4: On Land'' is the eighth solo studio album by British ambient musician Brian Eno. Released in 1982, it was the final edition in Eno's ambient series, which began in 1978 with '' Music for Airports''. Overview ''On Land'' is a mix ...
and may spend more than half the year out of the water. Like many reptiles, it spends much of the day basking in the sun to regulate its body temperature, but unlike most other aquatic turtles, it hibernates over the winter months except in the warmer, southernmost reaches of its range. The chicken turtle is relatively small compared to other related turtles, with males measuring up to around and females around . It is also one of the world's shortest-lived turtles, reaching a maximum age of 20–24 years. There are thought to be around 100,000 adult chicken turtles in the wild. Although the population as a whole is considered secure, its status in some areas is less certain and several states have listed it as threatened or introduced regulations to manage hunting or taking. The word "chicken" in the turtle's
vernacular name A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
is apparently a reference to the taste of its meat, which was once popular in
turtle soup Turtle soup, also known as Terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy. Versions China In China, and in several countries in Southeast Asi ...
and commonly sold in southern markets.


Taxonomy and evolution

The species was first described in 1801 independently by two French zoologists: as ''Testudo reticularia'' by
Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom ...
, and as ''Testudo reticulata'' by
François Marie Daudin François Marie Daudin (; 29 August 1776 in Paris – 30 November 1803 in Paris) was a French zoologist. With legs paralyzed by childhood disease, he studied physics and natural history, but ended up being devoted to the latter. Daudin wrote ' ( ...
. Both descriptions were based on drawings and a single specimen collected by
Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc (or Louis-Augustin Bosc d'Antic) (29 January 1759 – 10 July 1828) was a French botanist, invertebrate zoologist, and entomologist. Biography Bosc was born in Paris, the son of Paul Bosc d’Antic, a medical doctor ...
in the vicinity of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
some years previously. Subsequent studies placed the chicken turtle into various related genera (''
Emys ''Emys'' is a small genus of turtles in the family Emydidae. The genus (''sensu lato'') is endemic to Europe and North America. Species The following two species may be assigned to the genus ''Emys'' (''sensu lato''). ''Nota bene'': A bin ...
'', ''
Clemmys ''Clemmys'' is a genus of turtles currently containing a single extant species, the spotted turtle ''(Clemmys guttata)''. Taxonomy In the past, several other species were included in the genus, including a number of fossil species. DNA analysis ...
'' and '' Terrapene'') before
Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...
assigned it to the current genus in 1857. He distinguished ''D.reticularia'' from other North American members of the 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 ...
by the length of its neck, and from the Australian ''
Chelodina ''Chelodina'', collectively known as snake-necked turtles, is a large and diverse genus of long-necked chelid turtles with a complicated nomenclatural history. Although in the past, ''Macrochelodina'' and ''Macrodiremys'' have been considered s ...
'' by the articulation of the neck vertebrae. In his 1940 comparison of Latreille and Daudin's original descriptions, naturalist Francis Harper determined that Latreille's had been published first, hence the currently accepted specific name. The chicken turtle is the only extant species in the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Deirochelys ''Deirochelys'' is a genus of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae, the pond and marsh turtles. It contains one extant species, the chicken turtle (''Deirochelys reticularia''), which is native to the southeastern United States. A second ext ...
''. Its parent family is Emydidae, the freshwater marsh turtles, which are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. The name of the genus is derived from the
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
words for "neck" (''deirḗ'') and "tortoise" (''khélūs''), a reference to the species' particularly long neck. The
species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''reticularia'' comes from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "net-like" or "reticulated" (''reticulatus''), probably alluding to the turtle's patterned
carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
(top shell).


Subspecies

There are three distinct subspecies of chicken turtle, as described by Albert Schwartz in 1956 from a study of 325 specimens: * The eastern chicken turtle (''D.r.reticularia'') is the turtle originally described by Latreille in 1801. It is the largest of the chicken turtles, with males measuring up to and females up to . It is distinguished from the other subspecies by the coloring of its carapace, which is olive to brown with a yellow rim. The plastron (lower shell) sometimes features a spot or indistinct splotch of color. Its outstretched neck is especially long, sometimes as long as the carapace itself. * The Florida chicken turtle (''D.r.chrysea'') has the most distinctively patterned carapace of all the chicken turtles, featuring bold, broad yellow-orange reticulation. The shell is cuneiform (wedge-shaped), especially so in males and juvenile turtles, and measures up to for males and for females. The subspecies name ''chrysea'' is taken from the Latin for "golden one" due to the bright yellow or orange color of its plastron. * The western chicken turtle (''D.r.miaria'') is the smallest of the three subspecies; males have a maximum carapace length of and females . The stripes on its head and neck are lighter in color (cream or pale yellow) compared to other chicken turtles, and its plastron features a dark pattern along the seams. The subspecies epithet ''miaria'' derives from the Greek for "stained", referring to this patterning. Its carapace is oval in shape and flatter than that of the other subspecies. Schwartz considered that ''D.r.reticularia'' is probably most reminiscent of the ancestors of ''Deirochelys'', and that the other two subspecies most likely developed from it. The western chicken turtle is the most divergent of the three subspecies, suggesting a longer period of separation, possibly after populations were cut off from one another during a period of
glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...
. Similarly, ''D.r.chrysea'' developed from a later population separation, a common phenomenon on the geographically diverse Florida peninsula. Studies of the chicken turtle's
mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...
support this theory of earlier divergence of the western subspecies from the two eastern ones. It is thought that the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
prevents
intergradation In zoology, intergradation is the way in which two distinct subspecies are connected via areas where populations are found that have the characteristics of both. There are two types of intergradation: primary and secondary intergradation. Primary ...
(the presence of populations sharing characteristics of two subspecies) between ''D.r.miaria'' and ''D.r.reticularia'' since the chicken turtle does not generally inhabit rivers or moving water. Intergrades of the eastern and Florida chicken turtles are known, however, with several specimens having been collected in north-central Florida.


Fossil record

Ancestors of the chicken turtle and related turtles of the genus ''
Chrysemys ''Chrysemys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Emydidae. They are found throughout most of North America. Species There are two extant species: * ''Chrysemys dorsalis'' Agassiz, 1857 – Southern painted turtle * ''Chrysemys picta'' Schneid ...
'' may have been present in North America for up to 40 million years. Writing in 1978, Dale Jackson considered ''D.reticularia'' to have "one of the most complete evolutionary records of any Recent turtle".
Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s have been found throughout its current range; examples dating from the
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...
, or Recent, epoch around 11,700 years ago) have been discovered in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, in addition to fossils in
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
deposits in
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. A fossil found in
Alachua County, Florida Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...
dating from the middle Pliocene was originally thought to belong to ''D.reticularia'', but was later identified by Jackson as an extinct relative, '' D.carri''. This species was somewhat larger than its modern relative and its shell roughly twice as thick. Other fossil fragments from the
Hemingfordian The Hemingfordian on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 20,600,000 to 16,300,000 years BP. It is usually considered to overlap the lates ...
(20.6 to 16.3 million years ago) are considered to belong to even earlier, more primitive members of the genus.


Description

The chicken turtle resembles the painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') and some species of cooter (genus ''
Pseudemys ''Pseudemys'' is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States and adjacent northeast Mexico. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from ''kuta'', the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké lang ...
'') in appearance, but has an unusually long neck that is close to the length of its shell. It often also has black blotches on the underside of the bridge (the part of the shell connecting the carapace and plastron), which are not present in these other species. The carapace of the chicken turtle is elongated and pear-shaped, with the rear half noticeably wider than the front. It ranges from dark green to brown in color, and features a distinctive yellowish net-like pattern across its entire upper surface. The
scute A scute or scutum (Latin: ''scutum''; plural: ''scuta'' "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds. The term is also used to describe the anterior po ...
s of the upper shell have a ridged or wrinkled texture and are rough to the touch. Beneath its shell, the chicken turtle has particularly slender ribs, supposedly developed to accommodate its long, muscular neck. Although the chicken turtle shares morphological features with
Blanding's turtle Blanding's turtle (''Emydoidea blandingii'') is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. This species is native to central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of i ...
(''Emydoidea blandingii''), such as these elongated ribs and the shape of the skull, DNA analysis has shown they are not closely related. Descriptions of the chicken turtle disagree on the base color of its skin but it is generally reported to be darker than the carapace, varying from olive to brown to black. One of the distinguishing features of ''D.reticularia'' is a broad yellow stripe on the forelegs. The skin of the neck and head also has light stripes, although narrower, while the tail and rear legs show vertical yellow markings. The head itself is elongated with a somewhat pointed snout but no other distinguishing features, and the digits of the feet are
webbed ''Webbed'' is a 2D adventure puzzle platform game developed and published by Australian, Brisbane-based studio Sbug Games. A physics-based game set in a fantasy version of Queensland, players control a peacock spider whose goal is to rescue ...
and tipped with claws. Compared to other turtles, the chicken turtle is small to medium in size. Adults vary in length from around , with an average length of around . The width of the carapace is roughly 65 percent of its length. Mature chicken turtles exhibit some degree of
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
; the females are larger and heavier than males, although the males have longer, thicker tails. Unlike the painted turtle, there is no difference between the sexes in terms of the length of the foreclaws. Chicken turtle hatchlings measure approximately and weigh around . The shell is much rounder than the adults', and the shell and skin are considerably brighter in color, with a greater number of light stripes. The young of the western chicken turtle hatches with the distinctive dark markings on its plastron already present.


Distribution


Range

The chicken turtle is found throughout the
southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
; its range extends from the
Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
and states such as
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, South Carolina,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and Florida westward through the Gulf plain towards the Mississippi River. It tends to remain in coastal areas and is largely absent from the
Piedmont plateau The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont ...
and more mountainous regions in the north of these states. West of the river, its territory reaches as far north as
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and as far west as
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
and central
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Across its range, the chicken turtle may inhabit many hundreds or possibly thousands of
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
sites, although populations in any particular location are generally small.


Eastern chicken turtle

The eastern chicken turtle is the most widespread of the three subspecies, with specimens known from eight states. The main bulk of its territory begins on the eastern banks of the Mississippi River in southeast
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
and extends eastward along the coastal plain of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. Apart from the coastal region in the south of the state, it is not present in most of
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, save for a small population in the drainage basin of the
Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties int ...
. In
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 is again commonly found throughout the coastal plain in the southern half of the state. It is also present further north in the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachian mountain range, although less common. Through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, the eastern chicken turtle is again widely found throughout the coastal regions, although specimens have been recorded further inland in North Carolina. It is abundant in northern Florida, especially in the Panhandle region, where it is the only subspecies present. Its range begins to overlap with the Florida chicken turtle towards the north-central part of the state, with intergrades having been identified in
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...
,
Levy Levy, Lévy or Levies may refer to: People * Levy (surname), people with the surname Levy or Lévy * Levy Adcock (born 1988), American football player * Levy Barent Cohen (1747–1808), Dutch-born British financier and community worker * Levy Fi ...
, Gilchrist and
Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
counties. The eastern chicken turtle is also present in Virginia, although it is very rare there. A small colony was known to inhabit
First Landing State Park First Landing State Park (formerly Seashore State Park) offers recreational opportunities at Cape Henry in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. As the first planned state park of Virginia, First Landing is listed on the National Reg ...
in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, but several studies have only managed to locate one adult female and it is thought this population may be
extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...
. Around to the west, a small group of around 30 adults is present in
Isle of Wight County Isle of Wight County is a county located in the Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It was named after the Isle of Wight, England, south of the Solent, from where many of its early colonists had come. As of the 2020 census, th ...
. Neither of these locations is contiguous with the rest of the turtle's range; it is unclear whether these populations are
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of a native and formerly more widespread group, or whether they were introduced to the area.


Florida chicken turtle

As its name suggests, the Florida chicken turtle is native to Florida and is only found within the state. It is relatively widespread throughout the central and southern portions of the state, although it is absent from the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
.


Western chicken turtle

The western chicken turtle's range is generally restricted to locations west of the Mississippi River, although specimens have been found on the river's eastern banks in northwest Mississippi state. Its range extends from the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and Louisiana, northward into the south and east of Oklahoma and through
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
towards Missouri. It may once have been common in the swampland of Missouri's Bootheel region, but is now only found in a few small groups in the extreme southeast of the state. Its territory is also decreasing in Arkansas; diffuse groups are now found only in the northern reaches of the Gulf coastal plain in the south of the state, as well as some regions of the
Arkansas River Valley The Arkansas River Valley (usually shortened to River Valley) is a region in Arkansas defined by the Arkansas River in the western part of the state. Generally defined as the area between the The Ozarks, Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, the River V ...
. The western chicken turtle is reasonably uncommon in Texas but its population there is secure. It inhabits the drainage basins of several rivers in the eastern half of the state, such as the
Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...
and the Neches.


Habitat

Chicken turtles are semiaquatic, equally comfortable in wetland habitats and on land. All three subspecies have similar preferences; they like quiet, still or slow-moving bodies of water such as shallow ponds,
oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...
s, drainage ditches,
borrow pit Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actuall ...
s, marshes, swales, cypress swamps, and
Carolina bays Carolina bays are elliptical to circular depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and north Florida.Kaczorowski, R. T. (1977) '' ...
. Generally, the chicken turtle prefers water with a maximum depth of around , but it is known to inhabit ponds up to deep. It rarely inhabits moving water such as streams or rivers, but may sometimes colonize quieter rivulets or pools in the
riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
. Furthermore, it strongly favors fresh water, avoiding
brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...
wherever possible. The chicken turtle thrives in bodies of water with dense aquatic vegetation and a soft, muddy substrate. Often these are
ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
or temporary wetlands that readily dry out during the summer or in periods of drought. Such habitats tend to be free both of fish, which would provide competition for food, and potential predators such as
alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
s. When drying occurs, chicken turtles will migrate to the land and burrow into the soil or hide under foliage to avoid dry weather. Although they are well adapted to living terrestrially, they rarely abandon their original habitat even during extended dry spells, and will relocate to the water once it returns. Although the chicken turtle does not generally inhabit islands, isolated groups are also known in the
Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...
chain of
barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...
s off North Carolina. These
maritime forest A maritime forest is an ocean coastal wooded habitat found on higher ground than dune areas within range of salt spray. They can be found along the Atlantic and Pacific Northwest coasts of the United States. They can also be found in areas of So ...
habitats are prone to drying out easily in the summer and can be affected by storms and
sea spray Sea spray are aerosol particles formed from the ocean, mostly by ejection into Earth's atmosphere by bursting bubbles at the air-sea interface. Sea spray contains both organic matter and inorganic salts that form sea salt aerosol (SSA). SSA ha ...
, but research into one of these groups found no meaningful differences in longevity, growth rate or
sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...
between members of this population and their mainland counterparts.


Behavior

The chicken turtle is diurnal; its main periods of activity, such as feeding and mating, take place in the morning and late afternoon, either side of the warmest hours of the day. Like all reptiles, chicken turtles are cold-blooded and must regulate their body temperature. The main way they do this is through basking; they will spend many hours in the sun and can often be seen sitting on logs or tree stumps with their neck outstretched. However, they tend to spend less time basking than their herbivorous relatives. In order to be active, chicken turtles require an internal body temperature of around , therefore they are generally more active on warm, cloudy days than on hot, sunny ones. Like other turtles, the chicken turtle is extremely wary while basking and can be startled easily. Some have been known to bite and scratch in response to threats while others are more timid and retiring. Males may display particularly hostile behavior towards each other. Unusually for an aquatic turtle, the chicken turtle is known to
hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
in winter throughout the northern part of its range. It leaves the water in late September to find a suitable site for the winter, usually either in mud and vegetation around the edges of the ponds and swamps which it inhabits. Alternatively, it may bury itself under fallen leaves in surrounding woodlands or in the mud at the bottom of a pond. Hibernating chicken turtles remain out of the water for up to six months before becoming active again in the spring. They are able to spend long periods on land without feeding due to their large stores of body fat. The first few days of activity following hibernation are generally dedicated to nesting and egg-laying by females, with males emerging slightly later around early April. In the southernmost part of its range where winters are milder, the chicken turtle remains active all year round apart from on especially cool days. Chicken turtles are also frequently encountered on land during the summer months when the temporary wetlands they inhabit dry out. Males especially wander onto the land during this period and may travel great distances in search of alternative water, whereas
gravid In biology and human medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a woman is or has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional te ...
females remain in the wetland as long as possible since extra water is needed for egg production. Turtles unable to find a suitable aquatic habitat during particularly dry years may migrate to higher ground and burrow into the earth to undergo
aestivation Aestivation ( la, aestas (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and ...
, a period of dormancy similar to hibernation. Survivorship rates among small juveniles are lower during this period, possibly because they lack the fat and water reserves required to withstand long periods without feeding. Individuals are known to return to the same terrestrial refugia from one year to the next. In total, a chicken turtle may spend up to 285 days per year on the land.


Life cycle


Mating and nesting

The mating season of the chicken turtle can be estimated by the times of year in which male testicular volume is greatest, indicating maximum
sperm production Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid spermatozoa develop from germ cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis. This process starts with the mitotic division of the stem cells located close to the basement membrane of the tubules ...
. This period varies by location; in Florida, the testes are largest during the hottest months of summer, while in South Carolina and the slightly cooler climate of Missouri this occurs in the late spring and early summer months, roughly May through July. In Texas, courtship may take place in the early spring (February to April) or fall (September to November). The chicken turtle's mating ritual is initiated by the male, who swims at an angle towards the female turtle until he is facing her head-on. He then attracts the female's attention by making short, rapid swimming motions, gazing at her and vibrating his outstretched foreclaws against her face and neck. Only if the female is receptive does
copulation Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
occur. There is no evidence of forced insemination as sometimes seen in other related turtles. Chicken turtle mating takes place in shallow waters, and reproduction can be disrupted by prolonged periods of dry weather. Like mating, the timing of the nesting season depends on latitude. For example, in Florida nesting takes place continuously between mid-September and early March, with the possibility of an interruption if the winter weather is particularly cold. Further north, nesting may begin earlier in the year (around the end of August) but is always paused during the coldest months before resuming in the spring. In South Carolina and Arkansas, nesting and egg-laying may recommence in February, while in Virginia, in the northernmost reaches of the chicken turtle's range, it may not start again until March. This pattern of nesting in winter and hatching in spring is highly unusual; the chicken turtle is one of the only native North American turtles to nest at this time of year. Several reasons have been suggested for why this behavior developed. One hypothesis is that it allows the
hatchling In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well. Fish Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar to ...
s to emerge in the spring when there is a good supply of food available and less competition from hatchlings of other turtle species that appear later in the year. Furthermore, predators of turtle eggs may be less likely to hunt for them in the spring when there are generally fewer to be found. Atypically among North American turtles, the female chicken turtle can retain fertilized, calcified eggs in her
oviduct The oviduct in mammals, is the passageway from an ovary. In human females this is more usually known as the Fallopian tube or uterine tube. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by spermatozoa to become a zygote, o ...
s for several months after copulation, especially over the winter; these eggs will be laid in the spring once the nesting season resumes. The female nests on land, often in loose soil, but sometimes in heavier ground. She digs out a cylindrical cavity with a depth of around and a diameter at the opening of approximately . Nests are usually built close to the water, although females are known to wander up to in search of suitable sites. Once the nest is ready, the female deposits a
clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
of between one and nineteen eggs. The eggs are white with a leathery or parchment-like shell, and elliptical in shape, measuring approximately by . Egg mass varies considerably; a review of eight studies found reported averages between and . The mass appears to be positively correlated with female body size and eggs laid in fall are significantly heavier than those laid in spring. Several minutes after laying, the female will fill in her nest, sweeping the dirt over the eggs with her hind legs until they are covered. Chicken turtles commonly lay two clutches of eggs per year, although in the uninterrupted nesting season of Florida, females have been known to produce as many as four.


Growth and lifespan

The incubation period of chicken turtle eggs is again dependent on location and temperature. In the warmer climate of Florida, incubation takes 78–89 days in the wild, while in South Carolina it may last up to 152 days. Under laboratory conditions, which aimed to recreate the very cool soil temperatures (as low as ) experienced further north, incubation was extended up to 194 days. The egg's yolk contains a very high proportion of fats, on average 32.5% of
dry matter The dry matter or dry weight is a measurement of the mass of something when completely dried. Analysis of food The dry matter of plant and animal material consists of all its constituents excluding water. The dry matter of food includes carboh ...
, which help to nourish the hatchling during this long period in the nest. Inside the egg, the
embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...
goes through a period of little to no development (
diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press It ...
) in the late
gastrula Gastrulation is the stage in the early embryonic development of most animals, during which the blastula (a single-layered hollow sphere of cells), or in mammals the blastocyst is reorganized into a multilayered structure known as the gastrula. ...
stage. It must experience a period of cool temperatures, around , before development proceeds when the temperature increases to . The temperature during this time strongly influences the sex of the hatchling; in one study, 100% of eggs kept at produced male turtles, whereas at , 89% were female. When it is ready to emerge from the egg, the hatchling breaks through the shell using its
egg tooth An egg tooth is a temporary, sharp projection present on the bill or snout of an oviparous animal at hatching. It allows the hatchling to penetrate the eggshell from inside and break free. Birds, reptiles, and monotremes possess egg teeth as h ...
, a sharp, thornlike projection on its beak. Chicken turtles born in the fall commonly remain in the nest over winter before emerging in the spring, meaning that hatchlings from eggs laid in February or March may not leave the nest for over a year. Very young hatchlings are almost circular, although as they grow their shell becomes less rounded and more elongated. Young chicken turtles grow rapidly, approximately in the first year depending on conditions; in drought years growth may be slower. The rate of growth is highly variable between regions and populations. Growth continues until the turtle reaches
sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definitio ...
, which occurs after approximately 2–3 years (or at a plastron length of ) for males, and around 6–8 years (plastron length ) for females. The turtle continues to grow after reaching maturity, although considerably more slowly. Females that reach a length of around appear to become much less reproductively active; they may only lay eggs every second or third nesting season, or they may cease to
ovulate Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. In women, this event occurs when the ovarian follicles rupture and release the secondary oocyte ovarian cells. After ovulation, during the luteal phase, the egg will be available to be fertilized ...
altogether. The chicken turtle is one of the shortest-lived turtles in the world. Wild chicken turtles have been recaptured up to 15 years after their first capture, with some reaching an estimated maximum age of 20–24 years. A study by herpetologist Whit Gibbons suggested that less than 1% of chicken turtles live past the age of 15. In captivity, they may only live for as little as 13 years. This short lifespan means that the average female chicken turtle is active for fewer than ten breeding seasons. Determining the age of a turtle becomes increasingly difficult as the animal ages; in the first few years of its life the turtle's shell may show visible
growth ring Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
s (annuli) that can be used to approximate its age. Annuli in the turtle's claws can sometimes be seen up to the age of around 14.


Ecology


Diet

Like many emydids, chicken turtles are almost completely carnivorous during the first year of their lives. However, they are unusual in preferring a carnivorous diet into adulthood. It has been suggested that this explains the smaller local populations of ''D.reticularia'' compared to other related turtles due to competition with fish for food, especially insects. In the wild they are known to prey on
crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...
, invertebrates,
tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...
s, vegetation and
carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...
, including dead fish and other animals. Carr described having seen a chicken turtle eating ''
Nuphar ''Nuphar'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-lily (Eurasian species; shared with many other genera in the same family), pond-lily, a ...
'' (bonnet-lily) buds, while captive adults have been observed feeding on
gopher frog The gopher frog (''Lithobates capito'') is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the south-eastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain, whe ...
tadpoles, lettuce, and canned fish. In a 1997 study of chicken turtle fecal matter collected during the summer months in South Carolina,
dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
nymphs were the most commonly observed food, along with snails, spiders and insects such as backswimmers and water bugs. Only six out of forty-three specimens had ingested plant material. Investigations into the digestive tract contents of chicken turtles in north-central Florida, where the eastern and Florida subspecies coexist, found similar results.
Decapods The Decapoda or decapods (literally "ten-footed") are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp and prawns. Most decapods are scavengers. The order is estim ...
(including crayfish and
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
), dragonflies and
beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s were the most frequently encountered foods; six out of twenty-five turtles had consumed trace amounts of plants or
algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
. Research in Oklahoma found evidence that adults of the western subspecies follow a more omnivorous diet than their relatives. While crayfish and bugs were still present in the majority of fecal samples, 92.6 percent of samples also contained material or seeds of various plants, including the
common rush ''Juncus effusus'', with the common names common rush or soft rush, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae. In North America, the common name soft rush also refers to '' Juncus interior''. Distribution '' ...
and broadleaf cattail. The chicken turtle is an aquatic hunter. It waits in the water and strikes its long neck out quickly with its mouth open to catch live food, relying on sight to detect its prey. The length of the neck allows it to capture fast-moving prey such as fish and spiders, which would otherwise be able to escape. Like Blanding's turtle, the chicken turtle uses a sucking motion when feeding; any water taken in during the process is expelled before the food is swallowed whole. The Florida chicken turtle is known to feed passively, swimming along with its long neck extended and foraging in clumps of vegetation.


Predators

Information regarding predation of the chicken turtle is scarce, but it is presumed that common predators such as
raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
s,
skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
s and
snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s feed on eggs and juvenile turtles.
Fire ant Fire ants are several species of ants in the genus ''Solenopsis'', which includes over 200 species. ''Solenopsis'' are stinging ants, and most of their common names reflect this, for example, ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Many of the nam ...
s are also known to attack nests and kill hatchlings of ''D.reticularia'' and other turtles. Hibbitts and Hibbitts suggest humans and alligators to be the main predators of the western subspecies, while a study in Florida found evidence of
red-shouldered hawk The red-shouldered hawk (''Buteo lineatus'') is a medium-sized buteo. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its ...
s preying on various turtles including the Florida chicken turtle.
Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
s,
heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
s and
snapping turtle The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontem ...
s are also listed as possible predators. The meat of the chicken turtle is considered palatable and was once widely sold at markets throughout the southern United States for use in
turtle soup Turtle soup, also known as Terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy. Versions China In China, and in several countries in Southeast Asi ...
; it is thought that the vernacular name is a reference to the flavor of its meat. It is still sometimes eaten today in rural areas, although this is uncommon. Consumption by humans is no longer considered to be a significant threat to the chicken turtle population.


Parasites

Various
parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
s have been identified during examinations of chicken turtle specimens. In 1968, Fain described a new species of cheyletoid
mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
, '' Caminacarus deirochelys'', found in the
rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the s ...
of a chicken turtle collected in
Englewood, Florida Englewood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte and Sarasota counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,800. The Sarasota County portion of Englewood is part of the North Port–Saras ...
, thirty years earlier. The
trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host ...
'' Neopolystoma orbiculare'' has been reported from the
bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...
of ''D.reticularia'', while ''
Telorchis corti ''Telorchis'' is a genus of Trematoda, trematode parasites found in many Herpetology, herps, comprising around 70 species. This Parasitism, parasite is an indirect parasite, with a snail intermediate host and a reptile or amphibian definitive Hos ...
'' is known to parasitize chicken turtles and various other emydids. A 2016 study of two chicken turtle specimens captured in Alabama identified a previously unknown species of
blood fluke ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed '' schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Orga ...
, '' Spirorchis collinsi''.


Conservation

The chicken turtle population as a whole is currently considered secure and is thought to consist of at least 100,000 adults. Local populations are often small but stable, however the species is designated by
NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and the public. Nat ...
as S1 (critically imperiled) in Virginia and Missouri and S2 (imperiled) in Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Oklahoma. The chicken turtle does not appear on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, although the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group's own provisional list considers it
Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...
. At the state level, the chicken turtle is protected by various local laws. In Virginia, where only around 30 adults are thought to remain, it has been listed as "vulnerable" since 1987. It is also considered at risk by the Alabama Natural Heritage Program; local regulations state that only two turtles may be kept and these must be for personal use (e.g. as pets). Along with other native reptiles, removal of chicken turtles from their natural habitat is regulated in several states throughout its range including Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. The chicken turtle is subject to a ban on commercial taking in Arkansas, where it is "extremely rare". In Missouri, where until 1995 no sightings had been recorded for at least 33 years, it is listed as an endangered species, making hunting illegal. Habitat loss appears to be the most significant threat to the stability of chicken turtle populations. Human activity is one cause of this; the turtle's preferred wetland habitats are often converted for agriculture, such as rice farming, or building developments. In Missouri and Arkansas in particular, the destruction of
swampland A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
and
bottomland hardwood forest The bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous and evergreen hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes in the United States and elsewhere. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soi ...
s is a direct threat to the chicken turtle. Man-made obstacles such as fences and road barriers can also lead to populations becoming isolated. Since it prefers to live in small, shallow bodies of water that can easily dry out during the hotter months, the chicken turtle is also susceptible to the loss of upland habitats surrounding wetlands to which it migrates during periods of drought. Migration also leads to turtles, especially females in search of suitable nesting sites, walking onto roads where they are killed by traffic. Fire is a further threat;
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
s are becoming increasingly common and while
controlled burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...
s can help to protect wetland habitats by decreasing the risk of wildfire, chicken turtles that are overwintering on land or have been forced onto the land during drier months can be caught up in them. Several locations inhabited by chicken turtles are already under protection, having been designated as
wildlife reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
s or conservation areas. However, further preservation of wetlands, especially temporary ones, would be beneficial in ensuring the continued stability of the population. In particular, the protections currently in place rarely include the surrounding areas of land that the chicken turtle inhabits for much of the year. Scientists in
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
have developed
quantitative polymerase chain reaction A real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR, or qPCR) is a laboratory technique of molecular biology based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule during the PCR (i.e., in real ...
assay tests to enable the presence of four uncommon or vulnerable reptiles, including the chicken turtle, to be identified through
environmental DNA Environmental DNA or eDNA is DNA that is collected from a variety of environmental samples such as soil, seawater, snow or air, rather than directly sampled from an individual organism. As various organisms interact with the environment, DNA ...
.


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Deirochelys Reptiles described in 1801 Fauna of the Southeastern United States Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille