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8 June 2021 Status of the Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, in West Tennessee
Dustin Garig, Joshua R. Ennen, Saidee J. Hyder, Taylor Simmonds, Andrew J. Feltmann, Robert Colvin, Jeremy Dennison, Luke Pearson, Brian R. Kreiser, Sarah C. Sweat, Jon M. Davenport
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Abstract

Western alligator snapping turtles, Macrochelys temminckii, have experienced population declines throughout most of their distribution. The present study is the first to systematically sample aquatic habitats of western Tennessee to assess the status and distribution of this species within the state. At the 65 sites sampled, we captured 22 individual alligator snapping turtles from 4 sites, including 1 site where juveniles had been reintroduced more than a decade prior. We conclude that M. temminckii occurs at very low densities in western Tennessee, likely due to historical habitat modification (e.g., channelizing rivers or ditching).

© 2021 Chelonian Research Foundation
Dustin Garig, Joshua R. Ennen, Saidee J. Hyder, Taylor Simmonds, Andrew J. Feltmann, Robert Colvin, Jeremy Dennison, Luke Pearson, Brian R. Kreiser, Sarah C. Sweat, and Jon M. Davenport "Status of the Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, in West Tennessee," Chelonian Conservation and Biology 20(1), 35-42, (8 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1471.1
Received: 15 September 2020; Accepted: 23 January 2021; Published: 8 June 2021
KEYWORDS
Chelydridae
conservation
distribution
freshwater
reintroduction
stocking
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