ARKANSAS, USA — The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) is asking for help searching for a rare species of turtle found in the state: The western chicken turtle.
Sightings of the Chicken turtle anywhere in the state from hikers, hunters, anglers, or any herpetology enthusiasts would help biologists with population surveys that inform them of the species' status.
According to AGFC, chicken turtles are found in marshes, swamps and beaver ponds—primarily in the eastern and southern parts of Arkansas.
Chicken turtles are roughly the same size and color as two more common turtles seen in Arkansas, the red-eared sliders and river cooters.
“To the untrained eye, they’re easily confused for sliders,” said Kelly Irwin, the AGFC herpetologist. “But it’s pretty easy to determine if you have a chicken turtle. Look at the hind quarters. If the yellow stripes are straight up and down, it’s a chicken turtle.”
In addition to having vertical stripes on their back legs, chicken turtles also have broad yellow bars on their front legs. You'll mostly find them in shallow waters like ponds, marshes and swamps.
Irwin asks anyone who thinks they've spotted a chicken turtle to send a photo of their "striped pants" to her via email or text at (501) 539-0431 or kelly.irwin@agfc.ar.gov.
As a part of a multi-year survey, AGFC is asking for help in getting more information on the chicken turtle, which is listed as a species of "great conversation need." The status is given to animals that either seem to be declining in health overall or there's limited data pointing to how well they're faring at all.
Having more information on the whereabouts of the chicken turtle in Arkansas will help AGFC be able to focus conservation efforts in the future.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.