Demography of an Urban Population of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) in Texas

Eric Munscher^1,2,*, J. Daren Riedle³, Arron Tuggle^1,2, Jordan Gray², Day B. Ligon⁴, Valeria Gladkaya², Chris Drake², Ross Couvillon⁵, Jonathon Bolton⁶, Madeleine Morrison², Brian P. Butterfield⁷, and Andrew D. Walde²

¹SWCA Environmental Consultants, Department of Natural Resources, 10245 West Little York, Road, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77040. ²Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 506 Hayter Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75965. ³Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, 512 SE 25th Avenue, Pratt, KS 67124. ⁴Department of Biology, Missouri State University, 901 South National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65897. ⁵University of Louisiana - Monroe, 700 University Ave, Monroe, LA 712099. ⁶BGE, Inc., 10777 Westheimer Road #400, Houston, TX 77042. ⁷Freed-Hardeman University, 158 East Main Street, Henderson, TN 38340.*Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 22, Special Issue 12 (2023): 221–235

Abstract
Understanding population demographics of Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle) requires long-term studies. Most previous studies do not provide demographic population data. We conducted a mark–recapture study of M. temminckii inhabiting Buffalo Bayou in Harris County, TX, from October 2016 through August 2021. We captured 110 unique individuals during 465 trap nights and recorded 45 recaptures. We generated 8 biological metrics. Capture per unit effort varied from 0.267 to 0.547 turtles per trap-night, the population estimate was 173 turtles (95% CI:138–250), the sex ratio was 1.00 M:1.28 F, and density and biomass estimates were 4.43 turtles/river km and 89.9 kg/km, respectively. Given that anthropogenic risks to this urban population may increase, continued monitoring and research is warranted.

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