Species Profile: Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) on Military Installations in the Southeastern United States.

The alligator snapping turtle Macroclemys temminckii is an uncommon turtle of the Southeast that is a former candidate species for listing as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species is found in the south-central and southeastern United States throughout the Mississippi River Valley and Gulf Coast States. Alligator snapping turtles utilize a variety of aquatic habitats having permanent water and abundant aquatic vegetation, including rivers, streams, canals, lakes, oxbows, and sloughs. Nests usually are located near water on high and well-drained sites such as natural or artificial berms bordering aquatic environments. The alligator snapping turtle has been documented on several military installations in the Southeast. This report is one of a series of Species Profiles being developed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species inhabiting southeastern United States plant communities. The work is being conducted as part of the Department of Defense DoD Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program SERDP. The report is designed to supplement information provided in plant community management reports for major United States plant communities found on military installations. Information provided on the alligator snapping turtle includes status, life history and ecology, habitat requirements, impacts and cause of decline, management and protection, and inventory and monitoring.