Reptiles
Alabama Red-Bellied Cooter
Pseudemys alabamensis · also called Alabama red-bellied turtle
A large turtle with a faint reddish tint along the edge of its shell basks on a log deep in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, found nowhere else on the planet, a species so tightly bound to this one stretch of coastal Alabama that the state eventually made it official.
Overview
The Alabama red-bellied cooter, Pseudemys alabamensis, is a large freshwater turtle endemic to coastal wetland habitat around Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Alabama. Its extremely restricted natural range, distinctive reddish shell tint, and status as Alabama’s official state reptile make it one of the most geographically unique freshwater turtles in North America.
A turtle tied entirely to one place
With a natural range confined almost entirely to a single coastal region, the Alabama red-bellied cooter’s fate is unusually concentrated, tying the survival of an entire species directly to the health of one state’s coastal wetlands.
Status
Vulnerable, surviving only within a naturally small range around Mobile Bay and facing ongoing pressure from nest predation and coastal development, with active conservation efforts underway to support the species.
Alabama Red-Bellied Cooter: common questions
Where does the Alabama red-bellied cooter live?
This species is endemic to a small area of coastal Alabama and adjacent Mississippi, found almost entirely around Mobile Bay and the lower Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, a naturally restricted range that makes it one of the more geographically limited freshwater turtles found anywhere in North America.
Why is the Alabama red-bellied cooter the state reptile of Alabama?
This species was designated Alabama's official state reptile largely because the state contains virtually its entire natural range, making it a genuinely unique symbol tied specifically to Alabama's coastal wetlands rather than a species shared broadly across many other states the way some other state symbols are.
What threats does the Alabama red-bellied cooter face?
This species faces significant nest predation from raccoons and other animals, along with ongoing coastal development and habitat degradation within its already naturally small range around Mobile Bay, a combination of pressures that has led to active nest-protection and conservation efforts aimed at supporting the species' limited population.
How can you identify an Alabama red-bellied cooter?
Look for a large freshwater turtle with a reddish or orange tint along the edges of its shell and on parts of its skin, a feature that gives the species its common name, generally found in the rivers, lakes, and coastal wetland habitat of the Mobile Bay region rather than more widely across the southeastern United States.