New Projects Have Begun

In the time since I last updated the research blog, I have started two new projects. In the summer of 2020, I began a population study of turtles inhabiting Ponce de Leon State Park, which is located near Defuniak Springs, Fl. The main sampling method for this project is snorkeling up turtles in the main spring pool. The main species found in this habitat is the recently described, intermediate musk turtle, Sternotherus intermedius. I had two sampling periods in 2020, one in August and one in October, when some UTP volunteers and volunteers with AlaPARC joined me. This park is heavily visited during the summer months, and these freshwater spring habitats are becoming increasingly degraded in Florida. So, we can track turtle populations at this site over the years to see how they are impacted by these changes.

Adult intermediate musk turtle

In addition to the Ponce de Leon Springs study, I was excited to start a chicken turtle study in the Conecuh National Forest, in southern Alabama, in early 2021. Chicken turtles (Dierochelys reticularia) are one of our most unique aquatic turtle species for a number of reasons. They live primarily in ponds and seasonal wetlands and will leave these habitats in the summer when the habitats tend to dry up. They will return in the fall and start to think about nesting. Whereas nesting season occurs for most turtles during the early summer months, chicken turtles will lay their nest in the late winter/early spring, and hatchlings can stay in the nest for over a year before they emerge. Very little is known about chicken turtles in Alabama, so data from this project can help provide important conservation and management information for this species in our state.