Turtles of the Gulf Rivers: teacher key

Alligator Snapping Turtles, grade 9 edition, written for 9th grade. Alligator snapping turtles live in the rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and scientists have tracked them and studied their genes. Commercial harvest in the late 1960s and 1970s caused their numbers to fall, and hatcheries raise young turtles for release.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How many alligator snapping turtles did scientists fit with ultrasonic telemetry tags in the 1999 to 2000 Oklahoma study?
   • 62
   • 19 (answer)
   • 134
2. What do scientists believe is special about the lingual lure?
   • It is believed to be the only prey-capturing lure inside the mouth of any modern reptile (answer)
   • It is the longest tongue of any turtle
   • It glows in the dark
3. Which is a main reason Missouri wildlife officials name for the species declining?
   • Too many raccoons
   • Cold winters
   • Past overharvesting (answer)
4. What are the three distinct subpopulations that genetic studies found?
   • Lakes, canals and ponds
   • Northern, southern and western rivers of Texas
   • Mississippi River watershed, Gulf coastal rivers east of the Mississippi, and the Suwannee River system (answer)
5. Adults live in deep water in large rivers, and young live in smaller streams. What does this show?
   • Young and adult turtles use different parts of the river system (answer)
   • Young turtles leave rivers
   • Adults avoid streams entirely

Words

• lingual: of the tongue
• subpopulations: smaller local groups
• bycatch: caught by accident
• telemetry: remote tracking
• watershed: drained land