Feds designate Pearl River map turtle a threatened species

By (not verified) on Friday, July 19, 2024
  • The Pearl River map turtle has been designated a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Cris Hagen, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory/Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)
    The Pearl River map turtle has been designated a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Cris Hagen, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory/Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)

    The Pearl River map turtle had its day in court – and won big. After 14 years and multiple lawsuits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has granted federal protection as a threatened species to the turtle that, as its name indicates, inhabits the river that spans Mississippi and Louisiana. Other similar species of turtle were also designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act accord…