Northern Red-Bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris)

The northern red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris) occurs as a disjunct relict in southeastern Massachusetts, over 200 miles from the nearest populations in central New Jersey. We are working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the University of Massachusetts to design a multi-year population and habitat monitoring program to assess the status of red-bellied cooters at the northern end of its range.