MONSTER TURTLE MISSOURI RECORD; BIG REPTILE ON STTE'S `RARE' LIST

KENNETT -- Richard Cooksey is accustomed to dealing with wet, belligerent animals on his own. As a commercial angler, he makes his living taking finned and scaled fare from the St. Francis River. But what he found in one of his hoop nets recently made him stop and go for help.

He wanted help extracting a monster turtle from his nets.

More important, however, he knew someone who would give his left arm (not literally of course) to see the huge reptil.

In fact, Dunklin County Conservation Agent Mark Wilcoxon had specifically asked Cooksey to call him if such an animal ever turned up.

What had turned up was a 123-pound alligator snapping turtle.

Wilcoxon's request paid off big -- the alligator snapping turtle was the biggest ever documented in Missouri. Besides tipping the scale at 123-pounds, the snapper had a shell measuring 26 inches long by 20.5 inches wide. Herpetologist Tom Johnson, who works for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) out of Jefferson City, said the animal might be more than 70 years old.

"This is one big reptile," said Johnson. "I am very grateful to Mr. Cooksey for reporting his catch. We are trying to find out as much as we can about these rare turtles, and the opportunity to measure and mark an animal of this size is extremely valuable."

Wilcoxon filed notches into the scales at the edge of the turtle's shell in a pattern that will enable researchers to identify it if it is ever recaptured. Then he released it back into the St. Francis River.

Cooksey's find is the most recent and spectacular development in MDC's continuing effort to learn about one of the state's rarest and most fascinating inhabitants. Officials here and in Arkansas are working to help alligator snappers -- whose tongues are fishing lures, whose backs look like relief maps of the Rocky Mountains and whose powerful jaws inspired their colorful name -- survive into the 21st century.

In Missouri, alligator snappers are known to live only in the Bootheel region and a couple of counties at the upstream end of the Black and White river systems. Even there they are uncommon, and even less commonly seen.

"You aren't likely to come across an alligator snapper by accident," said Johnson. "They are very secretive. They spend most of their time at the bottom of pools in slow-moving streams. They come to the surface only to breathe, and they seldom leave the water except to lay their eggs in sandy banks."

This presents a challenge for Johnson, who is responsible for keeping track of the species' numbers. The alligator snapper is listed as "rare" in Missouri. That means that its numbers are few, and it could become endangered if its numbers dwindle even further. MDC is conducting a survey to learn more about how many alligator snappers inhabit the Bootheel and where they live. So far, MDC has found them in four streams in extreme Southeastern Missouri. The fact that some young alligator snappers have been found proves that they are reproducing.

"There is hope for them if we can protect adults like the one Mr. Cooksey found," said Johnson. He said that alligator snappers don't begin reproducing until they are 11 to 13 years old. Their remarkable longevity is important to the species survival. Not only has their habitat been reduced, but most of their eggs are dug up and devoured by raccoons. Anything that cuts into the number of adults poses a serious threat to the species' survival.

In Arkansas, commercial trappers were systematically cleaning out alligator snappers for meat and ornamental items, so the state Game and Fish Commission recently implemented an emergency ban on taking the big reptiles from public waters. Missouri has prohibited the taking of alligator snappers since 1973. Johnson said Arkansas' ban will help alligator snappers in Missouri by making it more difficult for poachers to capture the hefty reptiles here.

"We are lucky to still have alligator snappers," said Johnson. "They are the largest fresh-water turtles in the world. The world record is a 219-pound animal that came from Louisiana state. They have been in Missouri for hundreds of thousands of years. That is why we want to understand them and keep tabs on their numbers. The extinction of a species this ancient and unusual would be a terrible loss."

Alligator snappers can be distinguished from common snapping turtles by the presence of three high ridges of pointed scales down the center of the alligator snappers' backs. They also have strongly hooked beaks and large, scaly plates on the head. Common snapping turtles have neither of these characteristics. You can see live alligator snapping turtles at Runge Conservation Nature Center in Jefferson City or the St. Louis Zoo.

Cooksey's turtle surpassed the mark set by a 110-pound alligator snapper found in New Madrid County in July of 1983.