Barbour's map turtle

Barbour's map turtle
File:Barbour's Map Turtle kame.jpg
Graptemys barbouri, hatchling
Conservation status
Near Threatened Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix II
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Graptemys
Species:	G. barbouri
Binomial name
Graptemys barbouri Carr & Marchand, 1942
File:Graptemys barbouri map.png
Range map
Synonyms
Graptemys barbouri Carr & Marchand, 1942 Malaclemys barbouri — McDowell, 1964 Graptemys barbouri — Conant, 1975

Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys barbouri) is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.

Geographic range

G. barbouri is found in rivers located in southeastern Alabama, the western panhandle of Florida, and southwestern Georgia.

Habitat Preference

G. barbouri have been shown to prefer areas in deeper water, close to rocky areas with large amounts of woody debris.

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, barbouri, is in honor of American herpetologist Thomas Barbour.

Ownership

Owning Barbour's map turtle is illegal in Georgia, Michigan, and Alabama. The limit is two turtles per person in Florida. Like all map turtles, it is under the protection of the Salmonellosis Four-inch Regulation, disallowing G. barbouri to be sold if it is under the length of 4 in (10 cm).

Description

Adult male Barbour's map turtles are on average 3.5 to 5.5 in (8.9 to 14.0 cm) in straight-line carapace length. Adult females are much larger and can vary from 6 to 12.5 in (15 to 32 cm) in straight-line carapace length. "Females attain really imposing dimensions, and their heads are enormously enlarged". G. barbouri possesses black-tipped spines on the second, third, and fourth vertebral scutes. These spines are very noticeable in males, and resemble a dorsal fin.

Diet

Barbour's map turtle mainly consumes mollusks, insects, and small fish found in rivers.

Predation

Humans sometimes eat Barbour's map turtles as food. The nests of Barbour's map turtles are subject to predation by snakes and terrestrial mammals, such as raccoons.

In Florida, Barbour’s map turtles may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes like Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, Southern African rock pythons, Central African rock pythons, boa constrictors, yellow anacondas, Bolivian anacondas, dark-spotted anacondas, and green anacondas.