Escambia map turtle (Graptemys ernstii) is a turtle that is restricted to rivers in the Pensacola Bay drainage system in southern Alabama and northwestern Florida. These include the Conecuh/Escambia River and the Yellow River and associated streams. Graptemys ernstii exhibits pronounced sexual size dimorphism with females much larger than males. Females are molluscivores whereas males eat small molluscs and insects. Females nest in fine-grained sand along the main river channel. Graptemys ernsti is the dominant member of the turtle community in this river system. The Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals (FCREPA) classifies this species as rare because of its restricted range. I am conducting surveys of the Escambia River population in Florida.
 
 

Flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) occurs in pine flatwoods and savannas on the Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S. from South Carolina to Alabama. Flatwoods salamanders breed during the late-fall and winter in wetlands that dry annually. Because of historic population declines due to destruction and modification of both upland and wetland habitats (e.g., destructive forestry practices such as intensive soil preparation, ditching, and draining wetlands), it is now listed as threatened by the USFWS. It appears to be extirpated from Alabama and from many parts of its original range.

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) range from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to eastern Texas and are restricted to coastal brackish water wetlands. They eat clams, snails, crabs, and aquatic insects. Crab trap mortality and habitat loss are the primary threats to populations. There is concern among herpetologists that diamondback terrapins are suffering declines in many parts of their range, but there is a lack of good population data from many areas (e.g., Florida panhandle).