news release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marisa Ogles
ogles_m@chattzoo.org
423.643.5710
Chattanooga Zoo Discovers Turtle Subspecies
Chattanooga, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Zoo is pleased to announce the exciting
discovery of a turtle never before documented in the state of Tennessee, the Gulf
Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle. It was found in a Conasauga River tributary in Bradley
County. The Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell is a subspecies of the more prevalent Eastern
Spiny Softshell Turtle found throughout the state of Tennessee. Chattanooga Zoo
researchers, Rick Jackson and David Hedrick, were in the process of looking for
multiple reptile and amphibian species that had never been officially recorded in
Bradley County when the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle was discovered. Mr.
Hedrick notes, “we are very excited about our new resident here in the state. The
last time a new turtle was found in Tennessee was in 1986 when the threatened Bog
Turtles were discovered in Northeast Tennessee”.
When contacted about the Zoo’s discovery, Dr. A. Floyd Scott, Dept. of Biology at
Austin Peay University states that “David Hedrick and Rick Jackson’s discovery of the
Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera aspera) is significant because it
adds a new taxon to the vertebrate fauna of Bradley County and, more importantly,
to the state of Tennessee. Their find, coupled with a preserved specimen (recently
confirmed as the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell) in the North Carolina State Museum of
Natural Sciences that was collected in 1974 from the Conasauga River in eastern
Bradley County, suggest there is an established population there that has been
overlooked until now”.
The spotting of this subspecies is especially momentous because soft shelled turtles
are an extremely wary aquatic species that disappears at the first sign of danger.
They spend a great deal of time buried in the stream bottom, waiting to ambush prey.
Their neck is long and they have a tiny pig-like nose which allows them to stretch up
to the surface and breathe while the rest of their body remains buried in the sand and
mud.
More
Turtle Discovery Page 2 Cont…
Rick Jackson, Director of Ectotherms at the Chattanooga Zoo notes how “the
assessment of this population of turtles in the state of Tennessee is one of several
conservation initiatives currently underway within the Chattanooga Zoo’s Reptile and
Amphibian department”. The plan is for the Chattanooga Zoo to continue these
critical conservation efforts.
The Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell turtle discovered by Zoo researchers was a female
measuring 18 inches in length. These turtles can live to be 50 years or more.
The 14-acre Chattanooga Zoo (historically referred to as the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park) is
accredited by the national Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), assuring the highest standards of
animal care and husbandry. The Zoo is dedicated to its mission of engaging and inspiring all citizens of
the community to better understand and preserve wildlife by creating meaningful connections between
people and animals. With its intimate, innovative exhibits, wide-ranging education offerings and
commitment to conservation, the Chattanooga Zoo fills a unique niche within the community. The Zoo is
open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. In
2012, the Chattanooga Zoo will be celebrating its 75th anniversary. For more information, visit
www.chattzoo.org.
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