Name: 'His head is huge': Massive 124-pound alligator snapping turtle rescued in Mississippi
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'His head is huge': Massive 124-pound alligator snapping turtle rescued in Mississippi

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Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsA rescue effort in central Mississippi produced something of a size most people will never encounter, a 124-pound alligator snapping turtle."His head is huge," said Christy Milbourne, executive director of Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue. "It is bigger than mine."I would say his feet were bigger than my hand if you include the claws, which are really long and sharp, maybe 6 to 8 inches across or more. That is the largest one I've seen personally outside of a museum.", located in Florence, provides care for sick or injured turtles and tortoises. In this case, the turtle was neither. He is one of many being captured at a private lake that is being draining due to dam problems to protect and relocate them."The lake owner, decades ago back in the '50s or '60s, collected alligator snapping turtles and put them in his lake," Milbourne said. "I personally think it was not illegal back then, but I don't know for sure."The owner of the lake cared for these turtles. He cared for these turtles for decades."Milbourne said the turtles could get stuck in mud and die or disperse when the lake is empty and face conflicts with humans or be hit by vehicles, so they're being collected to be released into the wild. However, the turtles were originally collected outside the area and Milbourne wants them released in their native area, which requires&nbsp;matching the turtles with genetic samples collected from other alligator snapping turtles in the state."In this case DNA would be used to determine the animals'&nbsp;area of origin," Milbourne said. "We're going to try to figure out where they belong and release them back into the wild. Once that's determined, he'll be released there."Story continues below.Rare, giant find:According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, alligator snapping turtles can grow to 175 pounds and are the largest freshwater turtle in the nation. However, Mississippi seems to lack turtles anywhere close to that size.Luke Pearson is conducting a sponsored by the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In a 2019 interview when he'd captured more than 300 alligator snapping turtles in his research,&nbsp;he explained how rare a turtle of this size is."Probably, out of the 300, it would be maybe 35 over 50 pounds," Pearson said. "It's a pretty low percentage compared to other states that have been surveyed. The average is 11 pounds, so it's relatively small."However, the population of young turtles in Mississippi looks better than some other places."We're actually finding more juveniles in Mississippi than in other states," Pearson said. "We do have reproduction."We have plenty of babies around. What we're missing are the large adults. We don't know what's going on there. Anything over 70 pounds is rare for me to catch. They just don't seem to be abundant."How to keep snakes away from your home:Scott Peyton, a biologist and collections manager at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, said there are concerns over the health of the alligator snapping turtle population."Alligator snapping turtles, range-wide, there are concerns about the population," Peyton said. "It's been considered for threatened and endangered species."It's a very long-lived species. Reproduction is very slow."Peyton said the low population of the turtles could be caused by a number of factors including over-harvest in the past."People were taking them for food," Peyton said. "I know they were commercially harvested in the past and those were taken primarily for food.&nbsp;"There is a pretty big demand for their meat. There's always been a demand for them."To help the population, . In Mississippi, only one alligator snapping turtle may be possessed and harvested per year and it must have a carapace (shell) length of at least 24 inches to be legal, which rules out the bulk of the population for harvest. Also, no turtles may be harvested between April 1 and June 30.&nbsp;Peyton said the minimum carapace length protects females, which typically don't grow in excess of 24 inches. The period when no turtles can be taken is to protect them during nesting season."They're a lot more vulnerable,&nbsp;females&nbsp;especially because they're on land," Peyton said. "The females are helpless and very vulnerable." Contact&nbsp;&nbsp;at 601-961-7225 or&nbsp;. Follow&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and @BrianBroom on&nbsp;.View Comments

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsA rescue effort in central Mississippi produced something of a size most people will never encounter, a 124-pound alligator snapping turtle."His head is huge," said Christy Milbourne, executive director of Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue. "It is bigger than mine."I would say his feet were bigger than my hand if you include the claws, which are really long and sharp, maybe 6 to 8 inches across or more. That is the largest one I've seen personally outside of a museum.", located in Florence, provides care for sick or injured turtles and tortoises. In...

'His head is huge': Massive 124-pound alligator snapping turtle rescued in Mississippi

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