Condition and Coloration of Lingual Lures of Alligator Snapping Turtles

Brad M. Glorioso^1,*, John L. Carr², Carl J. Franklin³, Mandi Gordon⁴, Aaron C. Johnson², Ethan J. Kessler⁵, Eric Munscher^6,7, Luke Pearson⁸, Viviana Ricardez³, and Arron Tuggle⁶

¹US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 700 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506. ²Biology – School of Sciences, University of Louisiana Monroe, 700 University Avenue, Monroe, LA 71209. ³Texas Turtles, 1001 Denmark Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75050. ⁴Environmental Institute of Houston, University of Houston Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, TX 77058. ⁵Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820. ⁶SWCA Environmental Consultants, Department of Natural Resources, 10245 West Little York Road, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77040. ⁷Turtle Survival Alliance – North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group, 1030 Jenkins Road, Charleston, SC 29407. ⁸University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39406. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 22, Special Issue 12 (2023): 429–439

Abstract
The lingual lures of Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) are believed to be the only prey-capturing lures within the mouths of modern reptiles. To date, no formal assessment of lure condition in Macrochelys has been published, and few researchers record lure data. Herein, we report damaged or missing lures from 25 Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle; 7 adults, 18 juveniles) from a sample of more than 2000 lure assessments in 4 states, indicating this is a rare occurrence. We also describe lingual lure color observed in these assessments and introduce standardized terminology and color categories. We suggest researchers record data on the condition and coloration of the lingual lure to further our understanding of this ecological and evolutionary adaptation.

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