The Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle is now a threatened species. Here’s what that means

This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in a press release that a prehistoric species of turtle native to Florida is officially a federally threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

The Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle can only be found living in the Suwannee River Basin of Georgia and Florida and the population is officially on the decline, according to the press release.

It’s a part of the Alligator Snapping Turtle family, which are the largest freshwater turtles in North America, with males typically weighing more than 200 pounds. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this turtle is “often considered the dinosaur turtle of the world.”

Here’s a little bit about the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle and the difference between a federally threatened animal and an endangered animal.

What is the difference between a snapping turtle and an alligator snapping turtle?

In Florida, alligator snapping turtles can be found mostly in the Panhandle.

Being the largest freshwater snapping turtles in the world, alligator snapping turtles are a lot bigger than the common snapping turtles you might spot throughout Florida’s lakes, ponds, swamps and rivers.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), “The alligator snapping turtle can be found in rivers, lakes, backwater swamps, and periodically in brackish water systems from Florida to Texas and north to Illinois. In Florida, this species can be found in the Panhandle and Big Bend regions, from the Escambia River east to the Suwannee River.”

While their size is the clearest difference between the two snapping turtles, there are a few more differences between them.

Alligator snapping turtles have raised ridges on their shells, whereas common snapping turtles’ shells are smooth.

And alligator snapping turtles also have a unique, pink worm-like tongue that they use as a kind of natural “lure” to attract fish.

Why are Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtles going extinct?

“Alligator snapping turtles were historically used as food in their southern range; the highest amount of harvesting occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, which caused regional population declines,” the FWC says.

“Mortality rates slowed in the 1970s in Florida when the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) enacted rules to limit the take of alligator snapping turtles.”

The FWC says it could take decades for the alligator snapping turtle to return to its pre-1970 population size.

And the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle’s population is even smaller.

“Illegal harvest and collection, hook ingestion and entanglement from recreational and commercial fishing, and nest predation are threatening the sole population, which currently has about 2,000 individuals throughout its range,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent press release said.

What is the difference between threatened species and endangered species?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), endangered species are plants and animals that are so rare that they are in present danger of becoming extinct, while threatened species are plants and animals that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

The Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle is now considered a threatened species, meaning it is likely to become endangered soon, but isn’t considered endangered yet.

"The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle is listed as a state-designated threatened species in Florida and Georgia. In Florida, it is illegal to take, possess, or sell. In Georgia, is illegal to harass, capture, kill, sell, or purchase the species. Georgia law also prohibits the destruction of the species’ habitat on public lands," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's press release said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: This unique turtle species native to Florida is now listed as threatened