Feds propose threatened status for alligator snapping turtle
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that it is proposing threatened status for alligator snapping turtles -- huge, spike-shelled reptiles that lurk at the bottom of lakes and slow waterways, luring prey to their mouths by sticking out a wormlike lure.
Every state in their range now protects them, but the long-lasting effects of catching the reptiles for turtle soup are among reasons their numbers are now so low, the agency said.
“Alligator snappers are some of the fiercest, wildest creatures in the Southeast, but overexploitation and habitat destruction have put their lives on the line,” Elise Bennett, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release.
The turtles are suffering the effects of “decades and decades of exploitation,” Bennett, whose organization sued for protection for the species, said in an interview.
Alligator snapping turtles can live 80 years, with males known to weigh up to 249 pounds (113 kilograms) with shells up to 29 inches (74 centimeters) long. Their jaws are strong enough to snap bone.
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