Date of Graduation
Summer 2020
Degree
Master of Science in Biology
Department
Biology
Committee Chair
Day Ligon
Abstract
Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) have experienced range-wide declines primarily due to overharvest for the meat market and habitat degradation in the form of damming and channelization of rivers. Head-start programs and reintroduction efforts have been initiated to release individuals throughout their historic range. Before releasing Alligator Snapping Turtles, sites need to be assessed to determine the suitability of habitat, if there is a robust turtle community already present, and the causes of the original extirpation have been eliminated. I assessed the turtle communities and documented anthropogenic impacts (e.g. boat traffic) at nine possible reintroduction sites in southeastern Kansas in the Caney, Verdigris, Fall, and Elk river drainages as possible reintroduction sites. Alligator Snapping Turtles were not detected at any of the nine sites in Kansas. The Verdigris River near Coffeyville, Kansas appears to be a suitable site to release Alligator Snapping Turtles due to the high aquatic turtle species diversity. A population of reintroduced Alligator Snapping Turtles exists on the Caney River between Hulah Lake and the Oklahoma-Kansas state border. I assessed the health of this reintroduced population in addition to a wild population and two captive populations. No individuals or populations were obviously unhealthy, but I found some hematological and plasma biochemical differences among populations—primarily due to dietary and ontogenetic factors. Further sampling efforts would be beneficial to fully understand the extent of the range of Alligator Snapping Turtles in Kansas and for identifying additional suitable release sites. The lack of negative differences between wild and reintroduced Alligator Snapping Turtle health further supports that this is a suitable species to reintroduce into its historical range.
Keywords
Alligator Snapping Turtle, aquatic turtle community, health assessment, hematology, plasma biochemistry, reintroduction ecology
Subject Categories
Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology | Population Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Copyright
© Samantha Louise Hannabass
Recommended Citation
Hannabass, Samantha Louise, "Population Surveys and Health Assessments of Captive and Free-Ranging Alligator Snapping Turtles" (2020). MSU Graduate Theses. 3545.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3545
Open Access
Included in
Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology Commons, Population Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
