Coastal observations of alligator snapping turtles in the Florida Panhandle

Florida Field Naturalist
By: , and 

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Abstract

The genus Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) inhabits river systems that empty into the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas and contains the largest freshwater turtles in North America (Pritchard 2006). This paper details observations of Macrochelys on the coast and barrier islands in Franklin and Gulf counties, Florida, that contribute to our knowledge of their movements in brackish or saltwater ecosystems and occurrence on islands. Thomas et al. (2014) described turtles from this geographical area as a new species, Apalachicola alligator snapping turtle (M. apalachicolae), but Folt and Guyer (2015) disputed this designation, and many authorities still consider them to be alligator snapping turtles (M. temminckii; e.g., Crother 2017, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2017).

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Coastal observations of alligator snapping turtles in the Florida Panhandle
Series title Florida Field Naturalist
Volume 49
Issue 3
Year Published 2021
Language English
Publisher Florida Ornithological Society
Contributing office(s) Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Description 10 p.
First page 138
Last page 147
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