The fourth installment of our 12 Months of Aquatic Critters Blog Series is: freshwater turtles! Alabama is home to 31 species of freshwater turtles. That’s more than any other state!
Turtles have roamed the Earth for 220 million years. This diverse, but easily recognizable, group of reptiles has several common traits. All turtle species : 1) have a bony or leathery shell 2) have ribs fused to their shell and specialized neck muscles to ventilate their lungs 3) lack teeth and instead have a bony beak like modern birds and 4) are oviparous (meaning they lay eggs).
In all Alabama turtle species, the females dig a nest cavity with their hind feet. Turtles are long-lived creatures, with many species living 60-80 years or more. Females never lose their fertility, despite their longevity. Sexual dimorphism, or noticeable physical differences between males and females, is present in most turtle species. In fact, it is common for the females to grow larger than the males.
Humans have a long history of using turtles as a food source and, more recently, exploit turtles for the pet trade and hobby collections. Turtles win hearts regularly with their sheepish, yet oftentimes stately appearance. Just look at this face:
Read on for more facts about some of the turtle species that call Alabama home:
Snapping Turtles
This group includes the Eastern Snapping Turtle and the Alligator Snapping Turtle. The Eastern Snapping Turtle is found throughout Alabama occupying a wide variety of aquatic habitats. They grow to a length of 19 inches, have warty skin, have a reduced plastron (the bottom portion of the shell), and three barbels (fleshy, sensory organs which allow them to feel for prey) on their chin. One might describe this species as the “reverse-Gremlin” as they are relatively innocuous while in water, but when removed from the water, they become aggressive and threatening. If there is one turtle species of Alabama you should avoid offending or pestering, this would be the one. Snapping Turtles has a long history of being used as meat in soups and stews, although this author cannot personally attest to their tastiness.
The Alligator Snapping Turtle has the quintessential “dinosaur” aesthetic. This is the world’s largest freshwater turtle (weighing in at up to 200 pounds!) who can live up to 100 years. Unlike the Eastern Snapping Turtle, the Alligator Snapper is relatively lazy and more likely to stare at its captor with its mouth agape than to attack. A (somewhat) gentle giant, if you will. The top of their shell (known as the carapace) has three district ridges that become worn down over time. Most of their time is spent sitting on river bottoms waiting for prey to approach. This species has a wormlike luring device on its tongue that attracts fish. At the time of this article’s writing, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is proposed to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This species is found throughout the state; however, population densities have declined markedly over the past 60 or more years.
Soft-shelled Turtles
Soft-shelled Turtles are highly aquatic, with webbing on all four feet. As their name implies, they have soft shells that are noticeably flattened. Alabama is home to the genus Apalone, or the North American Softshells. This group of medium to large-sized turtles includes the Gulf Coast Smooth Softshell, Midland Smooth Softshell, Florida Softshell, and the Spiny Softshell (including two subspecies: the Eastern Spiny Softshell and the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell).
Softshells can be found in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds. They prefer sandy or muddy substrate because they burrow under the surface to hide. Softshells can dive much longer than other turtles in Alabama because they are capable of more efficient gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the water due to their heavily vascularized underskin and mouth lining. Their long, pointy snouts give them a somewhat comical appearance.
Mud and Musk Turtles
This group of small-sized turtles includes the Striped Mud Turtle, Mississippi Mud Turtle, Eastern Mud Turtle, Eastern Musk Turtle, Razor-backed Musk Turtle, Flattened Musk Turtle, Loggerhead Musk Turtle, and the Stripe-necked Musk Turtle. Most Mud and Musk Turtles are considered drab in color and spend more time on land when their wetland habitats are dry. These turtles can partially, or in some cases, fully close their shells to protect themselves from predators. Additionally, they secrete a foul-smelling substance that can clear a room.
The Striped Mud Turtle has a smooth, domed carapace, that sometimes contains three longitudinal stripes (see photo above). They occupy slow or stagnant water such as cypress swamps and blackwater streams. This species wasn’t discovered in Alabama until 2010 and is considered rare.
The Eastern Musk Turtle is found throughout the state in ponds, lakes, sloughs, and other stillwater habitats. This species is lovingly known as the “stinkpot” due to the stench of its musk. If that isn’t gross enough for you, this species (along with many other Musk and Snapping Turtles) eats carrion (i.e. the rotting flesh of dead animals) as well as small aquatic invertebrates as well as a smidge of plant material.
The federally threatened Flattened Musk Turtle is endemic to Alabama, only occurring in the Black Warrior River Basin above the Fall Line. Unsurprisingly, as its name indicates, this species has an exceptionally flattened carapace. The Flattened Musk Turtle is predominantly nocturnal and can remain submerged for hours. They eat molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.
River and Pond Turtles
This group of medium-sized turtles is typically found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and sloughs. Many have bright markings on their shells and/or bodies. This group includes the Mississippi Diamond-backed Terrapin, Eastern Chicken Turtle, Southern Painted Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle, Northern Map Turtle, Barbour’s Map Turtle, Alabama Map Turtle, Escambia Map Turtle, Ouachita Map Turtle, Northern Black-knobbed Sawback, Southern Black-knobbed Sawback, Red-eared Slider, Yellow-bellied Slider, Alabama Red-bellied Turtle, River Cooter, and the Florida Cooter.
The Eastern Chicken Turtle (named for its tasty meat) has an extremely long neck to aid in the capture of its prey: crayfish. In fact, a Chicken Turtle’s neck length can rival that of its shell! While this species is most common in the Coastal Plain, you can find individuals as far north as the Ridge and Valley, east of Birmingham. The Eastern Chicken Turtle spends a good deal of time on land, and prefers more shallow aquatic habitat.
Painted Turtles have extremely shiny, flat, and smooth shells. The Southern Painted Turtle is distinguishable by its bright red, orange, or yellow stripe down the middle of its carapace and yellow bars behind its eyes. The Eastern Painted Turtle lacks the upper shell stripe and has round spots behind each eye.
The Map Turtles are named for the map-light markings on the carapace of some species. There are 6 species of Map Turtle in Alabama, and the females of these species’ grow to much larger sizes than their male counterparts. This group is often found basking on logs; however, they are very skittish when approached and will oftentimes dive into the water long before you can get a good look at them.
The Escambia Map Turtle is found in medium-sized creeks to large rivers in the Yellow, Conecuh, and Choctawhatchee Pea River Basins. The females grow up to 11 inches, while the males grow to a mere 5 inches. The females also obtain enlarged heads with powerful jaws they use to feed almost exclusively on mollusks, freshwater mussels in particular. The males and juveniles mostly subsist on insects.
The Pond Sliders are the most commonly seen turtle species in the United States. Alabama is home to two subspecies: the Red-eared Slider and the Yellow- bellied Slider. Both are relatively large turtles that can grow to 11+ inches and are found throughout the state. The Red-eared Slider has an orange to red stripe behind each eye, while the Yellow-bellied Slider has a large yellow blotch behind the eyes. Red-ears are better adapted for larger streams, while Yellow-bellies are more adapted for habitats with abundant vegetation such as lakes, ponds, swamps, and shallow streams.
The federally endangered Alabama Red-bellied Turtle is Alabama’s state reptile. In Alabama, they are only found in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. They inhabit shallow freshwater streams, rivers, bays, and bayous near the Mobile Bay, eat aquatic vegetation, and are frequent baskers.
River Cooters are large (up to 15.5 inch long shells) turtles found throughout the state in streams and large lakes. This species rarely ventures onto land, except for nesting. In most of Alabama, River Cooters hibernate during the coldest time of year, but may be active year-round in the Lower Coastal Plain.
The Florida Cooter is similar in size to the River Cooter, but only found in the Lower Coastal Plain. Florida Cooters are typically found in large ponds and lakes with ample vegetation. Streamside management zones are important to protect terrestrial nesting area for both species of Cooter.
Do you have photos or videos of freshwater turtles in Alabama? If so, share them with us using the AWW Photo/Video Submission form.