Trapping Survey Results for the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) in Southeastern Louisiana, with Comments on Exploitation

Boundy, Jeff; Kennedy, Curtis

doi:10.2744/1071-8443(2006)5[3:tsrfta]2.0.co;2

Cited by 39 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Howey and Dinkelacker (2013) suggested that harvest may have been responsible for a similar female-biased sex ratio in a M. temminckii population in Arkansas. However, sex ratios that did not differ from 1:1 have been reported from previously harvested populations in Arkansas (Trauth et al 1998), Georgia (Jensen and Birkhead 2003), Louisiana (Boundy and Kennedy 2006), and Oklahoma (Riedle et al 2008), and female-biased sex ratios may occur naturally in some populations. In the upper SFR, the sex ratio may be related to the width of the river and social behavior of adult males.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Using mean CL as a measure of body size, the SDI reported for M. apalachicolae is 20.38 (Teare 2010), and values for M. temminckii range from 20.15 to 20.24 (Dobie 1971;Sloan et al 1996;Boundy and Kennedy 2006;Bogosian 2010;Folt and Godwin 2013;Howey and Dinkelacker 2013). Thus, male Macrochelys are on average 15-38% larger than females.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The number of adults in a heavily harvested population in Louisiana was 1.1 times the number of juveniles (Boundy and Kennedy 2006). Adults in Arkansas populations (0.72:1-1.2:1; Trauth et al 1998;Howey and Dinkelacker 2013) and in an Oklahoma population (0.42:1-0.97:1; Riedle et al 2008;East et al 2013) were approximately equal to or lower than the number of juveniles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Population Structure and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in Northern Florida

Johnston

Thomas

Suarez

et al. 2015

Chelonian Conservation and Biology

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Macrochelys suwanniensis is a newly described species endemic to the Suwannee River drainage in the southeastern United States. We conducted a study of M. suwanniensis in the Santa Fe River (SFR), the major Florida tributary of the Suwannee River, between 2004 and 2011. We captured 109 individuals (24% immature, 44% adult female, 32% adult male). Adult males (mean straight midline carapace length [CL] = 530.7 mm, mean mass = 34.0 kg) were significantly larger than adult females (mean CL = 424.0 mm, mean mass = 17.2 kg), with a sexual size dimorphism index of 20.25 based on mean CL. The largest turtle in our study was 623 mm CL and weighed 54.4 kg. Adult females were significantly larger (CL) in the lower SFR than in the upper SFR (these reaches are separated where the river flows underground for 5 km). All adult males . 600 mm CL were captured in the lower SFR. Adult females were proportionately heavier in the upper SFR than in the lower SFR; males did not show this difference. We hypothesize that these differences in body size are related to habitat. The M. suwanniensis population in the SFR presently appears healthy, but we suggest this species requires continued protection because of vulnerability of adults to harvest.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Population Structure and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in Northern Florida

Johnston

Thomas

Suarez

et al. 2015

Chelonian Conservation and Biology

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“…Although Alligator Snapping Turtles do not hibernate during the winter months, it is probable that their behavior and feeding habits change with the seasons as they enter a period of winter inactivity (Harrel et al, 1996;Boundy and Kennedy, 2006). Overall, turtles from Pataula Creek exhibited the highest biochemistry values in parameters such as glucose, total protein, albumin, bile acids, and triglycerides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Health Assessment of Free-Ranging Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii) in Georgia and Florida

Chaffin¹,

Norton²,

Gilardi³

et al. 2008

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large freshwater turtle endemic to river systems that drain into the Gulf of Mexico. Turtle populations were sharply reduced by commercial harvest in the 1970s and 1980s; however, the species has yet to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. While anthropogenic stressors such as habitat fragmentation and degradation and illegal capture continue to threaten populations, the degree to which disease may be contributing to any decline of the Alligator Snapping Turtle is unknown. Data were collected from 97 free-ranging Alligator Snapping Turtles in nine waterways in Florida and Georgia from 2001 to 2006. Eleven turtles were captured more than once, resulting in a total sample pool of 123. Reference ranges were established for complete blood count, plasma biochemistry values, trace metals (mercury, zinc, copper, lead, and arsenic), and nutrient parameters (vitamins A, E, D, and selenium). Variations by capture location, sex, and season were detected and likely resulted from external factors such as habitat and diet. Turtles sampled in one location were positive for tortoise herpesviral antibodies. Blood mercury values also differed among populations. This study provides justification for the use of these long-lived aquatic turtles as biologic monitors of the health of local freshwater ecosystems.

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“…This commercial collection is thought to have caused population declines throughout the southeastern United States (Pritchard 1989); in particular, populations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi were significantly reduced. In light of declines, members of the genus Macrochelys are now considered to be species of conservation concern and are protected in each state where they occur (Boundy and Kennedy 2006;Adkins Giese et al 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing Reference Demography for Conservation: A Case Study ofMacrochelys temminckiiin Spring Creek, Georgia

Folt

Jensen

Teare

et al. 2016

Herpetological Monographs

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The conservation of large, long-lived turtle species can be a challenging issue because their life-history strategies make populations sensitive to changes in adult survivorship and populations may be difficult to sample. The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large freshwater turtle species occurring in North America for which commercial harvest has severely reduced populations throughout the species range. Given recent population declines and a general deficit of demographic knowledge for Macrochelys, we conducted a mark-recapture study of M. temminckii from 1997-2013 in Spring Creek, Georgia, USA. We made 166 captures of 75 individuals using baited hoop-net traps and skindiving searches. The observed and estimated population structure described the adult sex ratio as even and adults as more abundant than juveniles. Apparent survival was higher for adult males (0.98) and females (0.95) than for juveniles (0.86), and we estimated a population density of 13-14 turtles/stream kilometer. The survival estimates for adult M. temminckii are among the highest of all freshwater turtle species reported in the literature. We used the empirical demographic parameters described here and a literature review to build an updated population model for M. temminckii; the model estimated a finite rate of population increase consistent with a growing population (k ¼ 1.036) at Spring Creek, and population viability analysis found the population growing over the next 50 yr in 100% of simulations. Application of our model to published survival estimates from two impacted western populations indicated a declining population (k ¼ 0.563) with a high risk of extirpation in Oklahoma and a population with a slow rate of decline (k ¼ 0.978) but approaching stability in Arkansas. Simulations identified combinations of survival values which generate viable populations and also characterized population structure resulting from viable scenarios. This is the first study to document a stable and viable population of Macrochelys. We suggest that the population parameters described at Spring Creek are the best approximation of reference demographic conditions for Macrochelys to date, and this study provides a general framework applicable for large, long-lived, endangered turtle species for which demographic data are unavailable.

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Trapping Survey Results for the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) in Southeastern Louisiana, with Comments on Exploitation

Cited by 39 publications

References 8 publications

Population Structure and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in Northern Florida

Population Structure and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in Northern Florida

Health Assessment of Free-Ranging Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii) in Georgia and Florida

Establishing Reference Demography for Conservation: A Case Study ofMacrochelys temminckiiin Spring Creek, Georgia

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