'Dinosaurs of the turtle world,' at risk in Gulf Coast rivers, study shows

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The alligator snapping turtle, often called the “the dinosaurs of the turtle world,” are at risk in the rivers in the northern Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study by University of Florida researchers.

According to the study, the turtles’ population from Texas to Florida was decimated in the past due to human consumption and the species’ low offspring survival rate.

In the study, scientists revised the genus Macrochelys to include Macrochelys temminkii and the two new species: Macrochelys apalachicolae, and Macrochelys suwanniensis.

Macrochelys temminkii can be found in the Mississippi River and Mobile River drainages while the Macrochelys apalachicolaecan is confined to the Apalachicola River and other panhandle rivers, according to the report. The Macrochelys suwanniensis can be found in the Suwannee River.

The turtles can grow up to 200 pounds and live up to 100 years, the report said. Author Travis Thomas, the lead author of the study, said that people have to be “especially careful,” managing the Suwanee River or risk wiping out the Macrochelys suwanniensis.

“If something catastrophic were to occur, such as a chemical spill or something that affects the entire river, it could potentially devastate this species,” Thomas wrote, according to the report. “The turtle is extremely limited by its habitat. All it has is this river and it has nowhere else to go.”