Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Ala. Red-Bellied Turtle

Sweet Homegrown Alabama

— Alabama State Reptile —

Ala. Red-Bellied Turtle Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019

1. Ala. Red-Bellied Turtle Marker

Inscription. The Alabama red-bellied turtle was placed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species List in 1987 and is of the highest conservation concern.

Alabama red-bellied turtles live almost exclusively in the fresh and brackish water of the Mobile Delta of Alabama and Mississippi, feed almost entirely on aquatic plants.

The life expectancy for this large turtle is about 50 years in the wild.

The Alabama red-bellied turtle is one of seven “cooter” species of freshwater turtle, with that name deriving from the word for turtle, kuto, brought to the Southeast by enslaved peoples from the West African nation of Mali.

Alabama 200 Bicentennial

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Animals. A significant historical year for this entry is 1987.

Location. 34° 42.578′ N, 86° 37.975′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. It can be reached from Bob Wallace Avenue Southwest. Located within the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4747 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Columns (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Jesup Wagon (about 400 feet away); Van Valkenburgh Daylily Garden (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pathfinder (approx. 1.1 miles away); Shuttle Training Aircraft (approx. 1.1 miles away); External Tank (approx. 1.1 miles away); Main Engines (approx. 1.1 miles away); Seasoned Global Traveler (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.

Also see . . . . Alabama Red-Bellied Turtle at the Encyclopedia of Alabama website. (Submitted on January 27, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019

2. Ala. Red-Bellied Turtle Marker

At the Lake Lonnie bridge, marker visible to the right.

Alabama Red-Bellied Turtles image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry Gertner, June 19, 2019

3. Alabama Red-Bellied Turtles

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 502 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 27, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.