Population Estimates and Geographic Distribution of the Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) in Iowa

Authors

James L. Christiansen, Drake UniversityFollow
Benny J. Gallaway, Drake University
John W. Bickham, Drake University

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Yellow mud turtle, population estimates, geographic distribution, endangered species

Abstract

The yellow mud turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) is an endangered species in Iowa known from six localities in the stare. The only large population is located on a private preserve on Big Sand Mound in Muscatine and Louisa Countries and is estimated to consist of 2,000 to 3,000 individuals. Following the removal of predators in 1979, density estimates have tripled as estimated by the Sequential Bayes Algorithm of mark-recapture data. Assuming the Big Sand Mound population was nor severely damaged by the drought of 1988, it is judged sufficiently large to serve as a source to enrich certain of Iowa's other mud turtle populations.

Publication Date

September 1990

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

97

Issue

3

First Page

105

Last Page

108

Copyright

© Copyright 1990 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Christiansen, James L.; Gallaway, Benny J.; and Bickham, John W. (1990) "Population Estimates and Geographic Distribution of the Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) in Iowa," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 97(3), 105-108.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol97/iss3/9