A Standardized Field Method and Habitat Suitability Model to Assess Reintroduction Sites for Alligator Snapping Turtles

Abstract - Head-start programs have been established to aid in the recovery of Macrochelys temmincki (Alligator Snapping Turtle) throughout the Mississippi River drainage. As the success of the breeding programs increase, additional release sites are needed where suitable habitat persists for reintroduction of Alligator Snapping Turtles, but methods to evaluate habitat suitability remain loosely defined. We developed a standardized field survey and habitat suitability model that can be used to assess and prioritize potential reintroduction sites. We measured important habitat features in the field and indexed them using a simple model that translated continuous data to an ordinal scoring system, resulting in an overall site-suitability score. We developed the model using 2 potential measurements of submerged deadwood density and determined habitat suitability among 17 sites in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi where Alligator Snapping Turtles were absent, present, and reintroduced. The model using side-scan sonar correctly predicted the presence of good habitat at sites where wild and reintroduced populations of Alligator Snapping Turtles were present, and scores were significantly related to Alligator Snapping Turtle abundance.