The United States Fish and Wildlife Service today ruled that the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) is now categorized as a threatened species.
“We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis), a large, freshwater turtle species from the Suwannee River basin in Florida and Georgia. This rule adds the species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We also finalize a rule issued under the authority of section 4(d) of the Act that provides measures that are necessary and advisable to provide for the conservation of this species. We have determined that designating critical habitat for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle is not prudent.”
This rule was first brought forward in 2021, and after assessing the risks posed to the species, it has now gained federal protection.
Turtle Survival Alliance engages in turtle population surveys, including that of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle, in the Suwannee River basin in Florida through our Volunteer Science program, the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG). This new rule is a step forward in protecting the largest turtle to inhabit this species-rich area.
Read the full ruling here.
Header image: A Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle captured by the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) during a freshwater springs survey, photo by Brett Bartek.
