Observations of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle from the Okefenokee Swamp

Benjamin S. Stegenga¹, Dirk J. Stevenson², and Houston C. Chandler^1,3,*

¹The Orianne Society, Tiger, GA 30576. ²Altamaha Environmental Consulting, Hinesville, GA 31313. ³Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 22, Special Issue 12 (2023): 78–83

Abstract
Macrochelys suwanniensis (Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle) is restricted to the Suwannee River drainage in Florida and Georgia. Over the last century, there have been scattered reports in the published and gray literature of M. suwanniensis sightings from the Okefenokee Swamp. This large wetland straddles the Georgia–Florida border and serves as the headwaters of the Suwannee River. Here, we discuss historic records of M. suwanniensis within the Okefenokee Swamp, provide details of recent sightings (2000–2021), including an extension of the known distribution to the northern portion of the swamp, and discuss the conservation and management implications of these observations.

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