Alabama red-bellied cooter

Species of turtle native to Alabama

Alabama red-bellied cooter

This turtle was sitting on the bank of Mobile Bay.
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 2.3)^[1]^[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Pseudemys
Species:	P. alabamensis
Binomial name
*Pseudemys alabamensis* (Baur, 1893)^[1]

Alabama red-bellied cooter range^[3]
Synonyms ^[4]
Pseudemys alabamensis Baur, 1893 Chrysemys ababamensis Ditmars, 1907 (ex errore) Pseudemys rubriventris alabamensis Stejneger, 1938 Chrysemys rubriventris alabamensis Obst, 1983

The Alabama red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) or Alabama red-bellied turtle, is native to Alabama.^[1]^[2] It belongs to the turtle family Emydidae, the pond turtles. It is the official reptile of the state of Alabama.^[5]

Life history

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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^[6] 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. 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 (360 mm), while a mature male can be 12 inches (300 mm).^[6]

Location

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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,^[7] in Harrison and Jackson counties.^[6] It may also exist in northwest Florida.^[2]

Protection

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In 2007, a 3.4-mile (5.5 km) chain-link fence was constructed along part of the US 98 causeway (Battleship Parkway) that separates the Mobile-Tensaw delta from Mobile Bay.^[8] Hatchling deaths dropped 80% from 2007 to 2008.^{[citation needed ]}

Gallery

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Hatchling

Hatchling
Hatchling, plastron

Hatchling, plastron
Hatchling, carapace view

Hatchling, carapace view

References

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^ ^a ^b ^c Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (31 December 2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5: 000.181. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (2016) [errata version of 1996 assessment]. "Pseudemys alabamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996: e.T18458A97296493. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T18458A8295960.en . Retrieved 25 July 2024. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3)
^ U.S. Geological Survey (2017). "Alabama Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis) rARBCx_CONUS_2001v1 Range Map". Gap Analysis Project. doi:10.5066/F7Z31XTN.
^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 192. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895 . S2CID 87809001.
^ "Official Alabama Reptile". Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. 12 July 2001. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Alabama – Great Days Outdoors Magazine Fishing, Hunting – Dedicated to Sportsmen and Their Families". Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
^ Southern Wonder: Alabama's Surprising Biodiversity by R. Scot Duncan, University of Alabama Press, 2013, page 367, ISBN 9780817357504
^ "Turtle protectors on the Causeway – BaldwinReport.com". baldwinreport.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.

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

v t e Emydidae family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Emydidae
Genera	Species of the Emydidae family	[画像:Northern red-bellied cooter(Pseudemys rubriventris)]
Chrysemys	Painted turtle
Clemmys	Spotted turtle
Deirochelys	Chicken turtle
Actinemys	Western pond turtle Southwestern pond turtle
Emys	European pond turtle Sicilian pond turtle
Emydoidea	Blanding's turtle
Glyptemys	Bog turtle Wood turtle
Graptemys	Alabama map turtle Barbour's map turtle Black-knobbed map turtle Cagle's map turtle Escambia map turtle False map turtle Mississippi map turtle Northern map turtle Ouachita map turtle Pascagoula map turtle Pearl River map turtle Ringed map turtle Texas map turtle Yellow-blotched map turtle
Malaclemys	Diamondback terrapin
Pseudemys	Alabama red-bellied cooter Northern red-bellied cooter Florida red-bellied cooter Peninsula cooter Rio Grande cooter River cooter (subspecies Eastern river cooter Coastal plain cooter Suwannee cooter) Texas river cooter
Terrapene	Coahuilan box turtle Common box turtle Ornate box turtle Spotted box turtle
Trachemys	Atrato slider Big Bend slider Baja California slider Central Antillean slider Colombian slider Cuatro Cienegas slider Cuban slider D'Orbigny's slider Hispaniolan slider Jamaican slider Maranhão slider Meso-American slider Nicaraguan slider Ornate slider Pond slider Yaqui slider
†Wilburemys	†Wilburemys yakimensis
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

v
t
e

Testudines

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Diapsida
Order: Testudines

Suborder

Superfamily

Family	Genus

Cryptodira

Chelonioidea
(Sea turtles)

Cheloniidae	†Allopleuron Caretta †Carolinochelys Chelonia †Eochelone Eretmochelys †Gigantatypus †Glarichelys †Itilochelys Lepidochelys †Mexichelys †Miocaretta Natator †Pacifichelys †Syllomus †Tasbacka
Dermochelyidae	†Arabemys †Corsochelys †Cosmochelys Dermochelys †Eosphargis †Mesodermochelys †Psephophorus
	†Euclastes †Peritresius †Procolpochelys †Protosphargis †Puppigerus

Kinosternoidea

Dermatemydidae	Dermatemys
Kinosternidae	Claudius †Hoplochelys Kinosternon Staurotypus Sternotherus

Testudinoidea

Emydidae	†Acherontemys Chrysemys Clemmys Deirochelys Emys Actinemys Emydoidea Glyptemys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Terrapene Trachemys †Wilburemys
Geoemydidae	Batagur †Banhxeochelys Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Rhinoclemmys Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys
Platysternidae	Platysternon
Testudinidae	Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Centrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis †Cymatholcus †Floridemys Geochelone Gopherus †Hadrianus †Hesperotestudo Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria †Megalochelys †Oligopherus Psammobates Pyxis †Solitudo Stigmochelys †Stylemys Testudo

Trionychia

Carettochelyidae	†Allaeochelys †Anosteira Carettochelys
Trionychidae	Amyda Apalone †Axestemys Chitra Cyclanorbis Cycloderma †Drazinderetes Dogania †Gilmoremys †Hutchemys †Khunnuchelys Lissemys Nilssonia Palea †Palaeoamyda Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx
	†Basilochelys †Sinaspideretes

Chelydridae	Chelydra †Chelydrops †Chelydropsis †Emarginachelys †Macrocephalochelys Macrochelys †Planiplastron †Protochelydra
†Nanhsiungchelyidae	†Anomalochelys †Basilemys †Jiangxichelys
†Protostegidae	†Alienochelys †Archelon †Atlantochelys †Bouliachelys †Calcarichelys †Cratochelone †Desmatochelys †Iserosaurus †Notochelone †Ocepechelon †Pneumatoarthrus †Protostega †Rhinochelys †Santanachelys †Terlinguachelys
	†Adocus †Argillochelys †Bashuchelys †Ctenochelys †Prionochelys †Toxochelys

Pleurodira

†Araripemydidae	†Araripemys
†Bothremydidae	†Araiochelys †Arenila †Azabbaremys †Bothremys †Cearachelys †Chedighaii †Chupacabrachelys †Eotaphrosphys †Foxemys †Galianemys †Ilatardia †Inaechelys †Itapecuruemys †Jainemys †Kinkonychelys †Kurmademys †Labrostochelys †Nigeremys †Phosphatochelys †Polysternon †Puentemys †Rosasia †Rhothonemys †Sankuchemys †Taphrosphys †Ummulisani †Zolhafah
Chelidae	Acanthochelys Chelodina Chelus Elseya Elusor Emydura Hydromedusa †Lomalatachelys Mesoclemmys Myuchelys Phrynops Platemys †Prochelidella Pseudemydura Rheodytes Rhinemys †Yaminuechelys
Pelomedusidae	Pelomedusa Pelusios
Podocnemididae	†Albertwoodemys †Bauruemys †Brontochelys †Caninemys †Carbonemys †Cerrejonemys †Cordichelys Erymnochelys †Lapparentemys †Latentemys Peltocephalus Podocnemis †Stupendemys
†Sahonachelyidae	†Sahonachelys †Sokatra

	†Caribemys †Caririemys †Tacuarembemys

Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on Turtles of the World 2017 Update: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. † = extinct.

See also List of Testudines families

Taxon identifiers
Pseudemys alabamensis	Wikidata: Q597376 Wikispecies: Pseudemys alabamensis ADW: Pseudemys_alabamensis ARKive: pseudemys-alabamensis CoL: 4NM9L ECOS: 1494 EoL: 793829 GBIF: 2442820 iNaturalist: 39829 IRMNG: 10710768 ISC: 68024 ITIS: 173804 IUCN: 18458 NatureServe: 2.100294 NCBI: 667122 Observation.org: 102591 Open Tree of Life: 848502 Paleobiology Database: 121570 RD: alabamensis

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