Variation in Relative Abundance, Population Structure, and Body Size of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) in the Suwannee River

Travis M. Thomas^1,*, Kevin M. Enge², Eric Suarez³, Savanna C. Barry¹, and Steve A. Johnson⁴

¹Nature Coast Biological Station, University of Florida, Cedar Key, FL 32625. ²Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL 32601. ³Divison of Habitat and Species Conservation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, West Palm Beach, FL 33412. ⁴Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 22, Special Issue 12 (2023): 264–274

Abstract
Geological processes influence water chemistry and biological productivity along the Suwannee River and divide the mainstem of the river into 6 distinct ecological reaches (ERs) in Florida. Because of these distinctions, we hypothesized that the Macrochelys suwanniensis (Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle) population varies among ERs. During 2011–2013, we sampled two 5-km sites in each ER to investigate spatial variation in relative abundance, sex ratio, size-class distribution, and body size of M. suwanniensis. Capture rates and male body sizes were greater in the middle ERs than in the upstream and downstream ERs. Sex ratios were male-skewed only in the middle ERs. Additional research is needed to understand the ecological drivers of M. suwanniensis population dynamics in this river.

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