The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Populations have been subjected to over a century of commercial and recreational harvest, causing large scale population declines. Additionally, their aquatic habitat has been subjected to largescale anthropogenic degradation. Very few robust populations have been identified or investigated by researchers. Recent population surveys in Mississippi located two populations whose demography and abundance suggest that they either escaped commercial harvest or have environmental conditions that have led to rapid population growth since harvest ended. The goals of this study were to (1) investigate the linear range and habitat selection of these populations and (2) to estimate the size of these populations using novel methods for the species. I found that M. temminckii selected different habitats based on water level, indicating shifts in habitat importance throughout the season. The linear range of M. temminckii was significantly affected by site, sex, weight, and body condition of individuals, indicating that localized habitat quality and population demography may have strong influences on space use. I estimated the total number of M. temminckii using both spatially explicit capture recapture and a novel plot sampling model using time lapse photography. The results of this study give valuable insights into the habitat preferences of M. temminckii which may provide guidance to managers and policy makers in the region. This work will also give managers and researchers new tools to investigate M. temminckii population sizes which has the potential to broaden the scope of surveys beyond only habitats accessible by boat.
","abstract_html":"<p>The alligator snapping turtle (<em>Macrochelys </em><em>temminckii</em>) is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Populations have been subjected to over a century of commercial and recreational harvest, causing large scale population declines. Additionally, their aquatic habitat has been subjected to largescale anthropogenic degradation. Very few robust populations have been identified or investigated by researchers. Recent population surveys in Mississippi located two populations whose demography and abundance suggest that they either escaped commercial harvest or have environmental conditions that have led to rapid population growth since harvest ended. The goals of this study were to (1) investigate the linear range and habitat selection of these populations and (2) to estimate the size of these populations using novel methods for the species. I found that <em>M. temminckii </em>selected different habitats based on water level, indicating shifts in habitat importance throughout the season. The linear range of <em>M. temminckii </em>was significantly affected by site, sex, weight, and body condition of individuals, indicating that localized habitat quality and population demography may have strong influences on space use. I estimated the total number of <em>M. temminckii </em>using both spatially explicit capture recapture and a novel plot sampling model using time lapse photography. The results of this study give valuable insights into the habitat preferences of <em>M. temminckii </em>which may provide guidance to managers and policy makers in the region. This work will also give managers and researchers new tools to investigate <em>M. temminckii</em> population sizes which has the potential to broaden the scope of surveys beyond only habitats accessible by boat.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Delisle, Patrick"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Carl Qualls","Luke Pearson","Kayla Stan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z","subjects":["Behavior and Ethology","Other Animal Sciences","Population Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1132","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Carl Qualls","Luke Pearson","Kayla Stan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Delisle, Patrick"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["3000-12-31T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Behavior and Ethology","Other Animal Sciences","Population Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1132"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Populations have been subjected to over a century of commercial and recreational harvest, causing large scale population declines. Additionally, their aquatic habitat has been subjected to largescale anthropogenic degradation. Very few robust populations have been identified or investigated by researchers. Recent population surveys in Mississippi located two populations whose demography and abundance suggest that they either escaped commercial harvest or have environmental conditions that have led to rapid population growth since harvest ended. The goals of this study were to (1) investigate the linear range and habitat selection of these populations and (2) to estimate the size of these populations using novel methods for the species. I found that M. temminckii selected different habitats based on water level, indicating shifts in habitat importance throughout the season. The linear range of M. temminckii was significantly affected by site, sex, weight, and body condition of individuals, indicating that localized habitat quality and population demography may have strong influences on space use. I estimated the total number of M. temminckii using both spatially explicit capture recapture and a novel plot sampling model using time lapse photography. The results of this study give valuable insights into the habitat preferences of M. temminckii which may provide guidance to managers and policy makers in the region. This work will also give managers and researchers new tools to investigate M. temminckii population sizes which has the potential to broaden the scope of surveys beyond only habitats accessible by boat.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Spatial Behavior and Population Estimation of the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Carl Qualls","Luke Pearson","Kayla Stan"],"dc:creator":["Delisle, Patrick"],"dc:date.available":["3000-12-31T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Populations have been subjected to over a century of commercial and recreational harvest, causing large scale population declines. Additionally, their aquatic habitat has been subjected to largescale anthropogenic degradation. Very few robust populations have been identified or investigated by researchers. Recent population surveys in Mississippi located two populations whose demography and abundance suggest that they either escaped commercial harvest or have environmental conditions that have led to rapid population growth since harvest ended. The goals of this study were to (1) investigate the linear range and habitat selection of these populations and (2) to estimate the size of these populations using novel methods for the species. I found that M. temminckii selected different habitats based on water level, indicating shifts in habitat importance throughout the season. The linear range of M. temminckii was significantly affected by site, sex, weight, and body condition of individuals, indicating that localized habitat quality and population demography may have strong influences on space use. I estimated the total number of M. temminckii using both spatially explicit capture recapture and a novel plot sampling model using time lapse photography. The results of this study give valuable insights into the habitat preferences of M. temminckii which may provide guidance to managers and policy makers in the region. This work will also give managers and researchers new tools to investigate M. temminckii population sizes which has the potential to broaden the scope of surveys beyond only habitats accessible by boat.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1132"],"dc:subject":["Behavior and Ethology","Other Animal Sciences","Population Biology"],"dc:title":["Spatial Behavior and Population Estimation of the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii)"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z"}