Photo: daniyal ghanavati / Pexels
The alligator turtle , a huge reptile with spiny shell that lives at the bottom of lakes, could obtain species status threatened , as proposed by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) .
The animal, which attracts prey by extending a worm-shaped decoy, has been declared a protected species in all the states in which it inhabits, but its population is very reduced , among other reasons, because it is captured to prepare turtle soup.
“Alligator turtles are some of the most ferocious and wild creatures in the southeast, but overexploitation and destruction of their habitat has put their lives at risk , ”Elise Bennett, an attorney for the Center for Biodiversity, said in a press release.
This species is victim of the effects of “decades and decades of exploitation” , Bennett said.
Meanwhile, alligator turtles can live up to 80 years. They have shells up to 74 centimeters; their jaws have the strength to break bones.
Calculations indicate that in 09 states there are a few 360, 000 copies, but Lack of protection would cause their number to plummet to 5% of them or even less in 30 – 50 years . “Their habitat has shrunk in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and possibly Oklahoma ,” says the dependency.
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