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Deirochelys reticularia

(Latrielle, 1801)

Chicken Turtle

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101923
Element CodeARAAD03010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChelonia
OrderTestudines
FamilyEmydidae
GenusDeirochelys
Other Common Names
chicken turtle (EN)
Concept Reference
King, F. W., and R. L. Burke, editors. 1989. Crocodilian, tuatara, and turtle species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Association of Systematics Collections, Washington, D.C. 216 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Includes three subspecies: D. r. chrysea, D. r. miaria, and D. r. reticularia.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2015-01-28
Change Date1996-10-21
Edition Date2015-01-28
Edition AuthorsJackson, D. R. (2015)
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
This turtle has a broad range that encompasses most of the lower southeastern U.S. coastal plain. Across its range, it undoubtedly inhabits many hundreds to thousands of appropriate wetlands. Though local populations are typically small, overall the species remains relatively common. Depending on future trends, conservation status may decline to G4 or even G3, however, as various factors can destroy or drain isolated wetlands that are essential to the species, and habitat fragmentation can isolate populations, which reduces recovery potential if local populations are extirpated (e.g., from drought).
Range Extent Comments
Coastal Plain from North Carolina (and disjunctly in southeastern Virginia) south to southern Florida, west to eastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, and north in the Mississippi Valley to southeastern Missouri (Buhlmann and Johnson 1995, Herpetol. Rev. 26:209). See Mitchell (1991) and Buhlmann (1995) for information on the status of the disjunct population in Virginia.
Threat Impact Comments
Isolated populations in Virginia declined as a result of loss of habitat (residential development and highway construction) and traffic-related mortality (Buhlmann 1995).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Shallow ponds and lakes with thick vegetation, cypress swamps, ditches, temporary pools; usually not in flowing water. Wanders overland, especially in spring. In Virginia, inhabits interdunal swales that have seasonal water fluctuations; some leave drying wetlands and estivate on land in summer (Buhlmann 1995). Hibernates in mud and aquatic vegetation along lake margins or in terrestrial situations (Buhlmann 1995), up to at least 165 m from wetlands (Buhlmann and Gibbons 2001). Eggs are laid in soil in an open area near water.

Reproduction

Lays up to several clutches of 2-15 eggs each year, In South Carolina, individuals lay up to 2 clutches/year; nesting is bimodal, typically August-September and February-March; female may retain eggs from late summer/fall to late winter/spring, possibly occurring when nesting conditions are not initially suitable (see Buhlmann et al. 1995, Herpetologica 51:457-462); mean clutch size is 7.3 (Gibbons and Semlitsch 1991). Egg laying probably occurs in March in Virginia (Mitchell 1991). In northern peninsular Florida, lays 2-4 clutches from mid-September through mid-March (Jackson 1988). Hatchlings, especially those from clutches laid in late summer or fall, may overwinter in the nest and emerge in spring. Males attain sexual maturity in 2-4 years, females in 6-8 (Behler and King 1979).
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS2Yes
TexasS5Yes
MissouriS1Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MississippiS4Yes
FloridaS3Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
ArkansasS2Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
VirginiaS1Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
LouisianaS2Yes
Roadless Areas (2)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
References (22)
  1. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  2. Buhlmann, K. A. 1995. Habitat use, terrestrial movements, and conservation of the turtle, <i>Deirochelys reticularia</i> in Virginia. Journal of Herpetology 29:173-181.
  3. Buhlmann, K. A., and J. W. Gibbons. 2001. Terrestrial habitat use by aquatic turtles from a seasonally fluctuating wetland: implications for wetland conservation boundaries. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 4:115-127.
  4. Buhlmann, K. A., J. W. Gibbons, and D. R. Jackson. 2008.<i> Deirochelys reticularia</i> (Latreille 1801) – chicken turtle. <i>In</i> A. G. J. Rhodin, P. C. H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R. A. Saumure, K. A. Buhlmann, J. B. Iverson, and R. A. Mittermeier (eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Mono­graphs No. 5:014.1-014.6, doi:10.3854/crm.5.014.reticularia.v1.2008, http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/.
  5. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  6. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  7. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  8. Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1972. Turtles of the United States. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 347 pp.
  9. Ewert, M. A., D. R. Jackson, and K. A. Buhlmann. 2006. <i>Deirochelys reticularia</i> - chicken turtle. In P. A. Meylan (ed.), Biology and Conservation of Florida Turtles. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 3:249-259.
  10. Gibbons, J. W. 1986. Movement patterns among turtle populations: applicability to management of the desert tortoise. Herpetologica 42:104-113.
  11. Gibbons, J. W., and R. D. Semlitsch. 1991. Guide to the reptiles and amphibians of the Savannah River Site. Univ. of Georgia Press, Athens. xii + 131 pp.
  12. Jackson, D. R. 1988. Reproductive strategies of sympatric freshwater emydid turtles in northern peninsular Florida. Bull. Florida State Mus. 33:133-158.
  13. Jackson, D. R. 1996. Meat on the move: diet of a predatory turtle, <i>Deirochelys reticularia</i> (Testudines: Emydidae). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2(1):105-108.
  14. Jackson, D. R.  2004.  <i>Deirochelys reticularia</i> (chicken turtle).  Diet. Herpetological Review 35(4):380-381.
  15. King, F. W., and R. L. Burke, editors. 1989. Crocodilian, tuatara, and turtle species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Association of Systematics Collections, Washington, D.C. 216 pp.
  16. Marchand, L. J. 1945. The individual range of some Florida turtles. Copeia 1945:75-77.
  17. Mitchell, J. C. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles. Pages 411-76 in K. Terwilliger (coordinator). Virginia's Endangered Species: Proceedings of a Symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.
  18. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  19. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) [Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson, R. Bour, U. Fritz, A. Georges, H. B. Shaffer, and P. P. van Dijk]. 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson , P. P. van Dijk, C. B. Stanford, E. V. Goode, K. A. Buhlmann, and R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi: 10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021.
  20. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Shaffer, H.B., Bour, R., and Rhodin, A.G.J.]. 2012. Turtles of the world, 2012 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5:000.243-000.328. Online. Available: www.iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/.
  21. Walker, D., and J. C. Avise. 1998. Principles of phylogeography as illustrated by freshwater and terrestrial turtles in the southeastern United States. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29:23-58.
  22. Zug, G. R., and A. Schwartz. 1971. Deirochelys reticularia. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 107.1-107.3.