| Reintroduction is a strategy often used to bolster or replace dwindling or extirpated populations of endangered or threatened species. In this study, 250 individually marked Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii ) were reintroduced into various pools adjacent to the Washita River in Johnston and Marshall counties, Oklahoma. Adult turtles came from Arkansas where they had been confiscated from an illegal culture operation. Juvenile turtles were hatched and reared at Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. We used radiotelemetry and hoop nets to track turtle dispersal, microhabitat selection, and movement patterns. We placed transmitters on 16 adult turtles from Arkansas and 16 2--4 year-old juveniles from the fish hatchery. Between May 2007 and August 2008, we recorded 198 locations of 32 individuals by telemetry (mean of 6 locations per individual). We recaptured 45 turtles 1--5 times using hoop nets employed for 501 trap-nights. All data were entered into a Geographic Information System for analysis. We compared movement and habitat selection between sexes and age classes for the parameters of depth, temperature, bank slope, and canopy. We compared growth between juveniles of the same cohorts, some of which were released, and others which were retained at the hatchery. |
