Biologists gather at south Georgia creek to study alligator snapping turtles

BAINBRIDGE - Alligator snapping turtles, the largest freshwater turtles in the Americas, spend most of their lives sitting at the bottom of rivers and bayous, waiting to snap their powerful jaws on fish that are attracted to their built-in lures. <br> <br> Biologist John Jensen, a turtle specialist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, brings them up once in a while to weigh them, mark them and check on their movements. <br> <br> Resembling prehistoric creatures, alligator snappers, which can reach weights of 250 pounds, have large shells with three bumpy ridges running from front to rear. They keep their beaks open out of water, poised for a lightning snap that could clip off fingers. <br> <br> ``Most of the time they&#39;ll have their mouths wide open because that is the only defense they have on land,&#39;&#39; Jensen said. <br> <br> Once abundant in the rivers and streams that flow into the Gulf of Mexico, their numbers have declined significantly because of environmental problems and widespread trapping. <br> <br> Georgia and most other Southern states classify them as threatened species, but not Louisiana, where the meat is a prized ingredient in soup. <br> <br> Jensen trapped 11 alligator snappers during a survey Friday in Spring Creek, a cypress-lined tributary of the Flint River in extreme southwestern Georgia. <br> <br> Then on Saturday, he was joined by more than a dozen other biologists, including three from Asia, for more turtle work in the creek. His goal is to develop a long-term plan to stem the decline. <br> <br> ``This is an animal that&#39;s a unique part of our heritage,&#39;&#39; Jensen said. ``We&#39;re the reason they became threatened, so I think it is our responsibility to do something about that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The threat to turtles is even greater in Asia, where they are being snatched from Laos, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia to supply the Chinese with a high-priced food delicacy, conservationists say. <br> <br> The three Asian biologist, Heng Sovannara of Cambodia, Wang Ji Chao of China and Firoz Ahmed of India, came to the United States this year at the invitation of the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society. They are studying turtle ecology so that they can promote conservation in their homelands. <br> <br> ``In India most of our turtles are endangered, because of habitat loss,&#39;&#39; said Ahmed. ``Conservation research is very important. If we don&#39;t have information, we won&#39;t know how to manage them.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> They studied diamondback terrapin conservation at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, N.J., and will study gopher tortoises at Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, Miss., before returning home in the fall. <br> <br> ``They&#39;ll learn how to run conservation programs,&#39;&#39; said their escort, biologist George Heinrich, who&#39;s a member of the Gopher Tortoise Council, a conservation group dedicated to saving the tortoises. <br> <br> On Spring Creek, the Asian biologists helped Jensen measure and weigh a 44-pound female alligator snapper. Jensen showed them the small appendage in the turtle&#39;s mouth that resembles a worm and is used to lure fish and other aquatic animals within reach of the its powerful jaws. <br> <br> Jensen said people often confuse alligator snappers with the more plentiful common snapping turtles. Common snappers, which are smaller and very aggressive, have the largest range of all North American turtles. They&#39;re found from the East Coast to the Rockies and from Canada to Ecuador. <br> <br> ``Most of the public calls every snapping turtle ... an alligator snapping turtle,&#39;&#39; he said. ``As a result, it&#39;s difficult to convince the public that alligator snappers are threatened.&#39;&#39;