The Service is listing the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and finalizing a 4(d) rule. The Service determined that designating critical habitat for the species is not prudent since the designation could increase the degree of threat from poaching. 

Alligator snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles in North America with adult males weighing more than 200 pounds. Like all snapping turtles, they have rough brown shells and very long tails, nearly as long as the body. They are characterized by three sharp ridges or keels that run the length of the carapace (upper shell), exceptionally large heads that appear triangular from above, strongly hooked beaks, and extra rows of scales near the edge of the carapace. 



Recently, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys spp.) was split into two distinct species: alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) and Suwannee alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys suwanniensis). This final listing and 4(d) rule applies only to the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle species. The alligator snapping turtle was proposed for listing as a threatened species in November 2021. 

These turtles are only found in the Suwannee River Basin in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia. 

It is estimated that there are about 2,000 of these turtles across their entire range in Florida and Georgia. 

The ESA describes two categories of species that need protection: threatened and endangered. An endangered animal or plant is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range; a threatened animal or plant is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. After careful examination of the turtle’s past, present and projected future conditions, the Service has determined it meets the definition of a threatened species under the ESA. The turtle is not being listed as endangered because its current condition still provides sufficient resiliency, redundancy, and representation such that it is not currently at risk of extinction. 

The Service conducted a thorough review of the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle via a Species Status Assessment (SSA). The SSA, produced with input from many partners, underwent independent peer and partner review. It provides a biological risk assessment using the best available scientific and commercial information on threats to a species and evaluates a species’ current condition. The SSA also forecasts a species’ future status under varying scenarios and forms the foundational basis for a species’ recovery plan, should it become listed.  

The SSA conducted for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle showed its populations are in decline and are expected to continue to decline into the foreseeable future. The final SSA report for the turtle is available here, and the Federal eRulemaking Portal. In the Search box, enter the docket number for this rule: FWS-R4-ES-2021-0007. 

Factors affecting the future viability of the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle include illegal harvest, hook ingestion and entanglement from recreational and commercial fishing, and nest predation. Historically, extensive commercial and recreational harvests in the 20th century resulted in significant declines of many alligator snapping turtle populations. Commercial harvesting negatively impacted populations in Florida and Georgia. Recreational harvest of Suwannee alligator snapping turtles is currently prohibited in both states. Florida prohibited the commercial harvest of alligator snapping turtles in 1972 and recreational harvest in 2009; Georgia prohibited all harvest in 1992. Although these restrictions have decreased the number of alligator snapping turtles being harvested, populations have not yet increased in response. This may be due to the turtle’s relatively low reproductive output and long generational times.

Listing under the ESA provides immediate protection, promotes recovery, and generates greater public awareness about the threats and conservation opportunities. It also inspires actions by diverse partners, including federal, state, tribal and local agencies; industry; conservation groups; and individuals.  

Under the ESA, federal agencies must ensure actions they approve, fund, or carry out do not jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or destroy its critical habitat. In addition, the ESA protects listed species and their habitats by prohibiting “take” and interstate or international trade in listed species (including their parts and products), except under federal permit. Take is defined as, “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” Harm is defined as, “an act which actually kills or injures wildlife.” Such an act may include significant habitat modification or modification or degradation that kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering.  

The ESA also requires the Service to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation of threatened and endangered species. Recovery plans outline actions that are needed to improve the species’ status, so they no longer require protection under the ESA. The Service develops and implements these plans in partnership with species experts; federal, state and local agencies; tribes; non-governmental organizations; academia; and other stakeholders.  

Due to the threat of illegal harvest on the species and to reduce take and protect locations where large turtles could be found, the Service determined that it was not prudent to designate critical habitat for the species. 

For threatened species, the Service may use the flexibility provided under the ESA’s Section 4(d) to tailor take prohibitions to those that provide conservation benefits for the species. The provisions of the 4(d) rule for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle provide for the conservation of the species by prohibiting the following: importing or exporting wild-caught individuals; take (as set forth at 50 CFR 17.21(c)(1) with exceptions); possession, sale, delivery, carrying, transporting, or shipping of unlawfully taken specimens from any source; delivering, receiving, transporting, or shipping individuals in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity; and selling or offering for sale individuals in interstate or foreign commerce. We are excepting incidental take resulting from forestry management activities implementing best management practices.

Levels of protection and conservation measures vary from state to state. Regulatory programs for Suwannee alligator snapping turtle may include: regulations that prohibit possession, purchase, sale, transport, or export; and inclusion on Florida and Georgia State lists of threatened wildlife.  

In addition, the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) manages the water and other related resources within the range of the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle including the Suwannee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee rivers within Florida. The agency monitors the water quantity and quality by regular testing and reporting. Water-use restrictions are implemented by SRWMD in order to conserve freshwater resources of springs and rivers within the SRWMD. These restrictions contribute to maintaining healthy groundwater levels and flows that support the habitat of the Suwanee alligator snapping turtle. 

The Service’s 4(d) rule would prohibit all forms of intentional take, including those resulting from interstate and international trade. The rule also prohibits incidental take, but it does include exceptions for incidental take from certain otherwise lawful activities. We are excepting incidental take associated with forestry management conducted using state-approved best management practices.

In the proposed rule, we had considered an exception for incidental take associated with bycatch from otherwise lawful recreational and commercial fishing. Bycatch is a threat to the species by entanglement, drowning, and hook ingestion. The preamble of the proposed rule considered and requested information for bycatch reduction techniques; however, no comments were received. Take of Suwannee alligator snapping turtle resulting from bycatch of otherwise lawful recreational and commercial fishing is prohibited under the final 4(d) rule. 

For more information, contact Lourdes Mena, Classification and Recovery Division Manager, 904-731-3134, Florida Ecological Services Office, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256-7517. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339.