Alabama red-bellied cooter
| Alabama red-bellied cooter | |
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P. alabamensis
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| Pseudemys alabamensis (Baur, 1893)[1]
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Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
The Alabama red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to Alabama.[1][2] It belongs to the Emydidae turtle family. It is the official reptile of the state of Alabama.[4]
Life history
The red-belly inhabits the fresh to brackish waters of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Mobile and Baldwin counties.[2] It feeds on aquatic vegetation[5] 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. However, when the turtles nest in late July, hatchlings may overwinter in the nest and emerge the following spring.[citation needed]
A mature female can be 14 inches, while a mature male can be 12 inches.[5]
Location
As of June 2009 the turtle has been seen in the central part of Alabama, in the Elmore County region.[citation needed]
This turtle has also been found in south-eastern Mississippi,[6] in Harrison and Jackson counties.[5]
Protection
A 3.4 miles (5.5 km) chain-link fence has been constructed along the US 98 causeway (Battleship Parkway) that separates the Mobile-Tensaw delta from Mobile Bay.[7] Hatchling deaths dropped 80% from 2007 to 2008.
Gallery
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Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling climbing up hand.JPG
hatchling
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Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling plastron view.jpg
hatchling, bottom shell
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Alabama red-bellied turtle hatchling, carapace view.jpg
hatchling, carapace view
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rhodin 2011, p. 000.181
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Pseudemys alabamensis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.gdomag.com/stories.php?story=08/10/27/4668945
- ↑ Southern Wonder: Alabama's Surprising Biodiversity by R. Scot Duncan, University of Alabama Press, 2013, page 367, ISBN 9780817357504
- ↑ http://baldwinreport.com/2007/11/14/turtle-protectors-on-the-causeway/
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pseudemys alabamensis. |
- Save the Alabama Red-bellied turtle—Alabama red-bellied turtle alliance
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Family Emydidae (pond turtles)
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Species of the subfamily Deirochelyinae
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Species of the subfamily Emydinae
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Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.
Subspecies and the extinct (Gyremys sectabilis) are not included. |
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Extant turtle taxonomy
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| Cryptodira |
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