Species #48: Razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus)
Species #49: Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis)
Species #50: Ringed map turtle (Graptemys oculifera)
Location: Bogue Chitto River (Walthall County, Mississippi)
Date: 20 October 2017
Species #51: Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis)
Location: Big Black River (Warren County, Mississippi)
Date: 21 October 2017
Species #52: Midland smooth softshell turtle (Apalone m. mutica)
Location: Big Black River (Hinds County, Mississippi)
Date: 21 October 2017
Species #53: Eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon s. subrubrum)
Location: Forrest County, Mississippi
Date: 21 October 2017
Post by George L. Heinrich
Hurricane Harvey forced us to postpone an earlier trip to Mississippi, but that just provided more time for planning. As you can imagine, addressing logistical concerns for a project the size of The Big Turtle Year (TBTY) is time consuming. Mississippi’s significant habitat diversity supports a rich turtle fauna (29 species have been documented) and we needed to see five. We would have been searching for two additional species, but Tim Walsh and I had an extra day at the end of our Alabama trip back in June and we used that time to visit a couple of bridge sites in southeastern Mississippi where we checked off two endemic map turtles (Graptemys sp.; see Update #12).
This trip was going to be our last opportunity to find several species, so Tim Walsh and I spent a considerable amount of time studying maps. Discussions with Dr. Peter V. Lindeman (Edinboro University of Pennsylvania), Grover Brown (The University of Southern Mississippi), and Dr. Will Selman (Millsaps College) regarding logistics were of great value and increased the likelihood of finding our target species. Further, Grover agreed to join us in the field and even offered to set hoop net traps to try to capture a razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) on the first river that we would visit, the Bogue Chitto in southern Mississippi. This species is the subject of his dissertation work and I was banking on his knowledge and experience.
Michael Bargeron (California Turtle and Tortoise Society) and I met in New Orleans and planned to travel together during the six-day trip. Michael was responsible for our travel itinerary when I visited southern California to search for two western species back in early May and he did a fantastic job (see Update #7). I was really looking forward to spending time in the field with him again. The next morning, we met up with the rest of the team at the canoe outfitter on the Bogue Chitto River. Dirk Stevenson (Altamaha Environmental Consulting), Andy Day (independent environmental consultant), Ryan Burner (Louisiana State University), and Grover Brown had traveled from throughout the Southeast to join in the fun and advance the species count for TBTY. We expected to reach our 50th species during this trip, a milestone after spending nearly a year looking for turtles across the United States. It was also likely to be our last trip where we would find multiple species needed for TBTY as the rest would require several visits to wide-ranging locations.
After a delayed start getting transported upriver, we immediately checked the string of hoop net traps which Grover set the previous day. In a matter of minutes we had the only razorback musk turtle of the trip and species #48 for TBTY. I was quite pleased as this was not the first trip where we looked for this large kinosternid, but it would be our last trip within its range. I am grateful to Grover for making this happen!
Grover Brown holding a razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus), species #48 for TBTY (Bogue Chitto River, Walthall County, Mississippi). Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
An adult, male razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) captured in the Bogue Chitto River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
I had the opportunity to join a field trip on the Bogue Chitto River (led by Dr. Peter V. Lindeman) a year earlier, so I knew that we had a great chance of seeing the Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis) and ringed map turtle (Graptemys oculifera), broad-headed and narrow-headed species respectively. Peter is recognized as the top authority on the genus Graptemys and is no doubt their biggest fan. His book, “The Map Turtle and Sawback Atlas: Ecology, Evolution, Distribution, and Conservation” published by University of Oklahoma Press in 2013, will be the reference on this genus for years to come.
The range of the Pearl River map turtle and ringed map turtle is restricted to the Pearl River drainage in south-central Mississippi and two parishes in southeastern Louisiana. Although the Pearl River map turtle has no federal or state listings, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as endangered with decreasing populations. The ringed map turtle, however, is federally listed as threatened, listed as endangered in Mississippi, and listed as threatened in Louisiana. Fortunately, both species occur within federal and state protected habitat within part of their range.
Our daylong paddle provided plenty of opportunities to view and photograph both the Pearl River map turtle and ringed map turtle, #49 and #50 for TBTY, respectively. It was a thrill to hit the 50 species mark with the ringed map turtle, which is certainly one of the most beautiful turtles in the United States. In just one day we had observed three species of turtles, all of which we wanted to find on this river and all needed for TBTY. In addition, we observed several eastern river cooters (Pseudemys c. concinna), several red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), and a single common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus).
George L. Heinrich holding a Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis), species #49 for TBTY (Bogue Chitto River, Walthall County, Mississippi). Photograph by Grover Brown.
Adult, female Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis) in the Bogue Chitto River. Note healed, old injury to the nose. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Adult, male ringed map turtle (Graptemys oculifera), species #50 for TBTY (Bogue Chitto River). Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Carapace of adult, male ringed map turtle (Graptemys oculifera) observed basking on the Bogue Chitto River. Photograph by Dirk Stevenson.
Adult, male red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) observed basking on the Bogue Chitto River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Adult, male common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) hand-captured in the Bogue Chitto River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Plastron of adult, male common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) hand-captured in the Bogue Chitto River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
A delayed start, low water level, lengthy photo sessions, and just general fun on the river all contributed to preventing us from making it to our designated takeout point before dark. We were lucky to be able to get off of the river at a bridge roughly midway and develop alternative transportation plans. After quick showers, we headed off for a Mexican dinner (a theme that you might have noticed from reading past blog postings) and celebrated another successful and fun day in the field.
The next morning, we started early and headed north towards Vicksburg. I was not quite sure how the day would play out, but I did know that our first target would be a Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis). We already had several locations mapped out, but Grover suggested visiting the Big Black River near Vicksburg where he thought that we could observe turtles from an overhead bridge on Old US 80. The Big Black River divides Warren and Hinds counties and looking down from a rural bridge we were able to observe not only a Ouachita map turtle (species #51 for TBTY), but also our first midland smooth softshell turtle (Apalone m. mutica), species #52 for TBTY. Although fairly sure that we would locate a Ouachita map turtle during this trip, finding a basking midland smooth softshell turtle was a real bonus. We had looked for that species during past trips, but unfortunately always came up empty-handed. This sighting allowed us to complete the three softshell turtle species which occur in the United States. The Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox; species #3 for TBTY) was observed in west-central Florida and the pallid spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera pallida; species #16 for TBTY) was located in eastern Texas. In addition, our visit to the Big Black River provided sightings of 8+ Mississippi map turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii) and a single red-eared slider.
Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis) habitat (Big Black River, Hinds and Warren counties, Mississippi). Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Dirk Stevenson (with spotting scope) and Grover Brown searching for turtles in the Big Black River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Adult Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis), species #51 for TBTY, in the Big Black River (Warren County, Mississippi). Photograph taken by Grover Brown at a considerable distance with a Nikon P900.
Adult midland smooth softshell turtle (Apalone m. mutica), species #52 for TBTY, in the Big Black River (Hinds County, Mississippi). Photograph taken by Grover Brown at a considerable distances with a Nikon P900.
A stop at a another location along that river provided our second sighting of a Ouachita map turtle and an opportunity to visit the site of the Battle of the Big Black River Bridge which occurred in 1863 and was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. A huge confederate flag was painted on the bridge and we observed a number of shell casings of various calibers scattered about the ground. The latter is often indicative of plinking, a disturbing activity where locals shoot turtles off of their basking perches. How much of a threat this activity is to turtle populations has not been documented, but certainly it cannot be good.
Site of the Battle of the Big Black River Bridge. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Shell casings of various calibers scattered along the bank of the Big Black River. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
After leaving the rest of our team, Grover, Michael and I traveled southeastward toward Hattiesburg where we planned to once again search for chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia). Grover had a known site on private land where he had permitted access, so we spent a couple of hours searching the wetlands on the property and trying to kick one up in the water. While scanning a distant shoreline with a spotting scope, Grover identified another species that had eluded us for some time, an eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon s. subrubrum). That became species #53 for TBTY and one that was hard earned. We also observed red-eared sliders and common musk turtles on the property. A quick stop at two additional nearby ponds allowed us to see several eastern river cooters.
In less than two days, we found all five of our target species for the trip, plus an extra one, which advanced the species count for TBTY from 47 to 53. Thank you again to Grover Brown for making sure that this trip was a major success!
Adult eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon s. subrubrum), species #53 for TBTY, in Forrest County, Mississippi. Photograph taken by Grover Brown at a considerable distance with a Nikon P900.
Eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon s. subrubrum) habitat in Forrest County, Mississippi. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
With rain in the forecast, Michael and I decided to spend a day celebrating our success in New Orleans. Michael is a foodie, knows a lot about famous restaurants, and showed me some great eateries in the city. A highlight was lunch at Willie Mae’s which was established in 1957 and voted “America’s Best Fried Chicken” by both the Food Network and the Travel Channel. We spent the next two days visiting more turtle sites in southeastern Mississippi and southern Alabama. Tim Walsh and I had already visited these sites in early June, but Michael and I wanted to see the yellow-blotched map turtle (Graptemys flavimaculata), Pascagoula map turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi), southern black-knobbed map turtle (Graptemys nigrinoda delticola), Alabama red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys alabamensis), and eastern spiny softshell turtle (Apalone s. spinifera) in the wild. We got them all! In total, Michael and I observed 15 species during this trip.
Michael Bargeron standing outside the Parkway Tavern in New Orleans. Visiting historical eateries added even more fun to the trip. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
Michael Bargeron enjoying raw oysters in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Photograph by George L. Heinrich.
It was great to reconnect with Tamara McConnell and her husband Raymond when we visited the southern black-knobbed map turtle site. Tamara is a TBTY partner and helped us locate this species and the Alabama red-bellied cooter when Tim Walsh and I visited Alabama during early June.
I had a great time in the field looking for wild turtles with friends and colleagues, and as is often the case I was not quite ready to return home. While flying back to Tampa Bay, I thought about upcoming trips that would focus on the last six species that we would search for during TBTY.