Alabama Red-bellied Turtle
This large basking turtle is centered in the lower Mobile–Tensaw system, where freshwater marsh, submerged vegetation, and nesting ground meet tidal influence.
Artwork inspired by Frank Fleming
Adults carry a dark shell with reddish or orange marks and fine yellow head stripes, but identification is difficult beside related cooters. The species feeds heavily on aquatic plants and depends on sunny logs or banks for thermoregulation.
Roads, shoreline development, boat strikes, nest predators, and collection pressure squeeze a narrow range. Watch with binoculars from public access and let experts distinguish it; never pull a basking turtle from a log for confirmation.
- Core waters
- Alabama
- Shell clue
- red-marked plastron
- Basking habitat
- Mobile–Tensaw waters
Quick guide
- Recognition
- Large oval shell, red-orange plastron and marginal marks, and narrow yellow head striping.
- Habitat
- Fresh or brackish marshes, sluggish channels, and embayments of the Mobile coastal plain.
Recognize it through habitat and behavior
- Recognition
- Large oval shell, red-orange plastron and marginal marks, and narrow yellow head striping.
- Habitat
- Fresh or brackish marshes, sluggish channels, and embayments of the Mobile coastal plain.
- Behavior
- Basks communally and drops quickly into water when approached.
- Observe responsibly
- Keep distance from basking sites and never disturb nesting females or mark locations.
Good to know
Keep distance from basking sites and never disturb nesting females or mark locations. Active most visibly from spring through fall; may bask on warm winter days.
Notice these
- red-marked plastron
- marsh basking log
- Mobile–Tensaw waters