The turtle head immobilization tool (THIS) is an efficient and cost effective tool to aid in the processing of large, aggressive turtles such as the Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). THIS aids in the reduction of aggressive behaviors by calming the animal during processing and minimizing injuries to the turtle and handlers. This simple tool also streamlines the processing itself, by allowing researchers to focus on measurements and markings, instead of having to maintain the constant vigilance often needed to work safely around these animals

Butterfield, Brian P.

Carstairs, Sue

Dupuis-Desormeaux, Marc

Hauge, Brian

Munscher, Eric C.

Munscher, Jessica

Osborne, Wayne

English

YorkSpace

	 IRCF	REPTILES	&	AMPHIBIANS		•		22(4):173–177		•		DEC	2015The Turtle Head Immobilization System (THIS): A Tool for Faster and Safer Handling and Processing of Aggressive Turtle SpeciesEric C. Munscher1, Brian P. Butterfield2, Sue Carstairs3,	Marc	Dupuis-Désormeaux4, Jessica Munscher5,	Wayne	Osborne6, and Brian Hauge71Department	of	Natural	Resources,	SWCA	Environmental	Consultants,	Bridgeville,	Pennsylvania	15017	(emunscher@swca.com)2Department	of	Biology,	Freed-Hardeman	University,	Henderson,	Tennessee	383403Ontario	Turtle	Conservation	Centre	(OTCC),	Peterborough,	Ontario,	Canada	K9J	6X24	Department	of	Biology,	York	University,	4700	Keele	Street,	Toronto,	Ontario,	Canada	M3J	1P35North	American	Martyrs	Catholic	School,	2526	Haymaker	Rd,	Monroeville,	Pennsylvania	151466Pine	Ridge	High	School	926	Howland	Blvd.	Deltona,	Florida	327387Department	of	Biology,	Peninsula	College,	Port	Angeles,	Washington	98362Abstract.—The	turtle	head	immobilization	tool	(THIS)	is	an	efficient	and	cost	effective	tool	to	aid	in	the	processing	of	large,	aggressive	turtles	such	as	the	Eastern	Snapping	Turtle	(Chelydra serpentina).	THIS	aids	in	the	reduction	of	aggres-sive	behaviors	by	calming	the	animal	during	processing	and	minimizing	injuries	to	the	turtle	and	handlers.	This	simple	tool	also	streamlines	the	processing	itself,	by	allowing	researchers	to	focus	on	measurements	and	markings,	instead	of	having	to	maintain	the	constant	vigilance	often	needed	to	work	safely	around	these	animals.Key Words.—snapping	turtle,	head,	immobilization,	safety,	processing.173IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS  •  VOL15, NO 4  •  DEC 2008 189TABLE OF CONTENTST A B L E  O F  C O N T E N T SF E A T U R E  A R T I C L E S Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 The Shared History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and Humans on Grenada: A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198R E S E A R C H  A R T I C L E S The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas .......................  Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida  .............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212C O N S E R V A T I O N  A L E R T World’s Mammals in Crisis  .............................................................................................................................................................   220 More Than Mammals  ......................................................................................................................................................................   223 The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity  ...........................................................................................................................................   225H U S B A N D R Y Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon  ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226P R O F I L E Kraig Adler: A Lifetime Promoting Herpetology  ................................................................................................ Michael L. Treglia 234C O M M E N T A R Y The Turtles Have Been Watching Me  ........................................................................................................................ Eric Gangloff 238B O O K  R E V I E W Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young  ..............................................................................................................  Robert Powell 243 CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS:   Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports  .................................  245 NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS:   Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History .................................  247 NEWBRIEFS  ......................................................................................................................................................................................  248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION  .....................................................................................................................................................  251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION:   A Project You Can Support  ...............................................................................................  252Front Cover. Shannon Plummer.Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos accullabo.Back Cover. Michael KernTotat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia-tur ma derrovitae voluptam, asIRCFREPTILES & AMPHIBIANSC O N S E R V AT I O N  A N D  N AT U R A L  H I S T O R YCopyright	©	2015.	Eric	C.	Munscher.	All	rights	reserved.	WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTI SANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALWhen	handling	any	live	animal,	two	primary	safety	issues	must	be	kept	in	mind;	first,	the	safety	of	the	person	who	is	manipulating,	handling,	or	processing	the	animal,	and	second,	the	wellbeing	of	the	animal	itself	(Schenider	et	al.	2001).	Wild	animals	can	inflict	serious,	if	not	fatal,	injuries	to	the	people	who	work	with	them.	Cons q ently,	develop-ing	techniques	that,	when	properly	used,	can	safeguard	both	animal	and	operator	is	important	(Fowler	2011).	 Turtle	researchers	over	the	past	70	years	have	devised	many	different	ways	to	process	turtles	(Meylan	2006;	Ferner	2007;	Weber	et	al.	2011).	Processing,	which	includes	mark-ing,	measuring,	weighing,	etc.	of	many	turtle	species,	poses	lit-tle	threat	of	injury	to	either	the	turtle	or	researcher.	However,	some	North	American	species	such	as	freshwater	Softshells	(genus	Apalone)	and	Eastern	Snapping	Turtles	(Chelydra ser-pentina)	and	many	other	species	from	around	the	world	can	inflict	serious	injuries	to	researchers	during	the	data	collection	process	(Meylan	2006;	Munscher	et	al.	2015).		 Eastern	Snapping	Turtles	are	known	for	their	cantan-kerous	dispositions,	large	claws,	and	powerful	quick-striking	beaks	(Meylan	2006)	and	can	inflict	considerable	damage	to	a	researcher’s	fingers	and	hands.	Handling	these	animals	can	be	tedious,	time-consuming,	and	potentially	dangerous	to	researcher	and	animal	(Fig.	1).	For	instance	in	2010,	the	lead	author	(ECM)	was	processing	a	19-kg	male	Snapping	Turtle	at	Wekiwa	Springs	State	Park	in	Orlando,	Florida.	During	the	measuring	process,	this	large	turtle	bit	and	broke	ECM’s	thumb	on	his	right	hand.	Fortunately,	ECM	was	wearing	thick	dive	gloves	that	prevented	the	turtle’s	beak	and	power-ful	jaws	from	inflicting	a	far	more	severe	injury.	 Developing	a	processing	method	that	will	immobilize	and	red ce	the	turtle’s	ability	to	strike	and	cause	bodily	damage	is	desirable.	Currently,	methods	that	employ	putting	a	large	stick	or	broom	handle	in	the	turtle’s	mouth	(Fig.	1)	or	using	another	researcher	as	a	distraction	are	often	used.	While	these	methods	can	work,	they	are	not	optimal	for	the	animal’s	well-being	or	the	researcher’s	safety.	In	2013,	the	North	American	Freshwater	Turtle	Research	Group	(NAFTRG),	 the	offi-cial	North	American	research	group	of	the	Turtle	Survival	Alliance	(Munscher	et	al.	2013)	invited	one	of	the	authors	(MDD)	to	join	us	at	our	Texas	study	site	at	Comal	Springs	in	New	Braunfels,	Texas.	MDD	introduced	the	research	group	to	a	processing	method	that	he	had	been	using	in	Canada	on	Snapping	Turtles.	The	Turtle	Head	Immobilization	System	(THIS)	is	a	small-handled	plunger	(Fig.	2).	THIS	is	placed	over	the	turtle’s	head	and	held	in	place	by	the	handle	(Figs.	2–3).	Mild	force	is	applied	to	the	plunger	to	hold	the	turtle’s	head.	With	the	tool	in	place	and	the	head	covered,	the	turtles	M E T H O D S174	 IRCF	REPTILES	&	AMPHIBIANS		•		22(4):173–177		•		DEC	2015MUNSCHER	ET	AL.Fig. 1.	Processing	a	large	Eastern	Snapping	Turtle	(Chelydra serpentina)	in	Tennessee	without	the	use	of	THIS.	Notice	the	use	of	large	sticks	as	a	means	of	restriction	and	distraction.	This	method	is	time-consuming	and	not	optimal	for	animal	or	researcher	safety.175MUNSCHER	ET	AL. 	 IRCF	REPTILES	&	AMPHIBIANS		•		22(4):173–177		•		DEC	2015are	far	less	aggressive.	The	tool	prevents	them	from	being	able	to	snap	at	the	persons	attempting	to	process	them,	making	the	overall	process	much	safer	and	faster.	To	test	the	effec-tiveness	of	THIS,	we	timed	the	processing	of	nine	Snapping	Turtles	from	two	different	study	sites:	Comal	Springs	in	New	Braunfels,	Texas,	and	Horse	Creek	in	Tennessee.Materials and MethodsCapture methods.—Snapping Turtles	were	captured	pri-marily	by	hand	while	snorkeling	as	components	 in	much	more	extensive	turtle	assemblage	population	studies	(aver-age	person	hours	per	event	~8	h	of	water	time	per	person).	We	also	placed	two	baited	double-throated	hoop	nets	(1.9	m	dia.,	5.7	m	long)	and	four	fyke	nets	(double	throated	hoop	nets	with	15.2-m	leads;	available	from	Memphis	Net	and	Twine,	Memphis,	Tennessee)	baited	with	fried	chicken.	For	each	sampling	session,	a	variable	number	of	volunteers,	typi-cally	between	10–16	snorkelers/boaters,	surveyed	turtles	from	0800	to	1700	h	depending	on	weather	conditions.	All	cap-tured	turtles	were	placed	in	kayaks	and	canoes	and	brought	to	a	central	location	in	the	spring	run	for	processing	before	subsequent	release	in	close	proximity	to	where	they	were	cap-tured.	Tennessee	turtles	were	captured	in	double-throated	hoop	nets	baited	with	fresh	fish. Marking method.—All	turtles	are	marked	using	two	complementary	methods	—	an	external	hard	mark	using	a	variation	of	the	technique	described	by	Cagle	(1939)	and	with	passive	 integrated	transponder	(PIT)	tags	(Biomark,	Inc.,	Boise,	Idaho;	Buhlman	and	Tuberville	1998).	The	PIT	tags	are	inserted	under	the	right	bridge	of	the	shell,	anterior	to	the	right	leg.	This	area	is	established	as	an	acceptable	site	for	PIT-tag	retention	(Buhlman	and	Tuberville	1998;	Runyan	and	Meylan	2005;	Munscher	et	al.	2015).	Twelve-mm	PIT	tags	are	used	for	all	Snapping	Turtles.	Capture	and	handling	protocols	were	approved	by	the	Texas	Parks	and	Wildlife	Department	 (TPWD),	 the	City	 of	New	Braunfels,	 The	Tennessee	Wildlife	Resources	Agency	 (TRWA)	 (TDEP),	and	the	Institutional	Animal	Care	and	Use	Committees	at	Fig. 2.	Use	of	the	THIS	on	a	large	male	Eastern	Snapping	Turtle	(Chelydra serpentina)	while	measuring	carapace	width.	Notice	the	moderate	pressure	being	applied	to	the	plunger.	The	turtle’s	head	is	entirely	enclosed.	176	 IRCF	REPTILES	&	AMPHIBIANS		•		22(4):173–177		•		DEC	2015MUNSCHER	ET	AL.Peninsula	College,	and	conform	to	the	ASIH/SSAR	animal-use	guidelines	(ASIH/HL/SSAR	2001). Data collection.—The	following	measurements	were	taken	from	each	turtle: Maximum	carapace	length,	midline	carapace	length,	plastron	length,	shell	width,	shell	height,	plastron	midline,	 pre-cloacal	 length,	 post-cloacal	 length,	and	head	width.		All	measurements	were	taken	to	the	near-est	mm	using	tree	calipers.	Turtles	were	weighed	to	the	near-est	50	g	with	a	10-kg	or	20-kg	spring	scale	(Pesola	Scales,	Kapuskasing,	Ontario,	Canada).	Turtles	were	sexed	based	on	secondary	sexual	characteristics	of	carapace	length,	tail	to	clo-acal	length,	and	front-claw	length	(Ernst	and	Lovich	2009).	Once	all	data	had	been	collected,	turtles	were	released	as	close	to	their	original	capture	location	as	possible.ResultsData analysis.—We	timed	the	processing	for	seven	Eastern	Snapping	 Turtles	 at	 Comal	 Springs	 in	 New	 Braunfels,	Texas,	that	ranged	in	size	from	300	mm	maximum	carapace	length	(CL)	to	396	mm	max	CL	and	weighing	7.3–15.5	kg.	Additionally,	we	processed	two	turtles	from	Horse	Creek	in	Savannah,	Tennessee,	that	possessed	maximum	CLs	of	287	mm	and	295	mm,	and	weighted	4.4	kg	and	4.6	kg,	respectively.	 Processing	times	were	statistically	shorter	when	using	THIS	 to	 immobilize	 a	 turtle’s	 head.	A	 one-tailed	 t-test,	assuming	unequal	variances,	revealed	that	mean	handling	time	using	the	tool	(2.71	min	±	0.12	SD)	was	significantly	less	than	without	(3.49	min	±	0.35	SD;	t	=	4.64,	df	=	4.9,	p	<	0.0029).	Personnel	injuries	also	were	kept	to	a	minimum	as	the	only	injuries	(scratches)	occurred	during	the	processing	of	Snapping	Turtles	without	the	use	of	THIS.DiscussionUse	of	the	THIS	resulted	in	statistically	quicker,	far	safer	(tur-tle	is	incapable	of	striking	when	its	head	is	within	the	plunger;	Figs.	2–3),	and	easier	processing	of	these	cantankerous	turtles.	Processing	is	not	only	difficult	and	potentially	dangerous	to	the	researcher	but	can	be	extremely	stressful	to	the	turtles.	We	noticed	that	once	the	turtle’s	head	was	inside	the	plunger,	the	turtle’s	ill	temperament	subsided,	allowing	us	to	process	the	turtle	in	a	faster,	safer,	and	more	streamlined	fashion.	We	recommend	that	researchers	who	work	with	larger,	more	aggressive	turtle	species	consider	using	the	tool	(as	it	is	a	cost	effective	way	~$4.00)	to	minimize	the	risk	of	injury	to	both	the turtle and the researcher.AcknowledgementsThe	Turtle	Survival	Alliance,	North	American	Freshwater	Turtle	Research	Group	expresses	its	gratitude	to	all	of	the	volunteers	who	have	joined	us	for	this	inaugural	sampling	ses-Fig. 3.	The	use	of	THIS	on	a	moderately	sized	male	Eastern	Snapping	Turtle	(Chelydra serpentina)	while	measuring	the	plastron.177	 IRCF	REPTILES	&	AMPHIBIANS		•		22(4):173–177		•		DEC	2015MUNSCHER	ET	AL.sion,	including	Nicole	Salvatico,	David	Rogers,	Ben	Williams,	Jessy	Whales,	Ande	Williams,	and	Iren	Gaz.	We	also	thank	Matt	Stahman	and	the	rest	of	the	staff	at	the	Houston	office	of	SWCA	Environmental	Consultants	for	their	continued	support	over	the	years.	The	study	was	conducted	under	per-mit	#	SPR-0212-019	 from	the	Texas	Parks	and	Wildlife	Department	and	permit	#	1494	from	the	Tennessee	Wildlife	Resources	Agency.	We	express	our	gratitude	to	the	Florida	Department	of	Environmental	Protection	(FDEP)	for	per-mitting	us	(permit	#	06261520)	to	sample	all	of	our	Florida	study	sites.	This	research	would	not	have	been	possible	with-out	the	valued	help	of	Virginia	Oros	and	Deborah	Shelly	from	the	Wekiva	River	Aquatics	Preserve,	 the	Friends	of	the	Wekiva	River,	Wekiva	Wild	and	Scenic	River	System	Management	Committee,	Wekiva	River	Aquatic	Preserve,	Wekiva	Wilderness	Trust,	and	Keep	Seminole	Beautiful	for	their	constant	support	and	much-needed	funding.Literature CitedASIH/HL/SSAR	 (American	 Society	 of	 Ichthyologists	 and	 Herpetologists,	Herpetologists	League,	Society	for	the	Study	of	Amphibians	and	Reptiles).	2001.	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Chelonian	Research	Monograph	No.	3,	Chelonian	Research	Foundation,	Luneburg,	Maine.Munscher,	E.C.,	B.P.	Butterfield,	J.S.	Munscher,	E.A.	Havens,	and	J.B.	Hauge.	2013	The	North	American	Freshwater	Turtle	Research	Group	(NAFTRG):	An	undergraduate	research	experience	(URE)	and	citizen	scientist	project.	Reptiles & Amphibians	20:119–129.Munscher,	E.C.,	A.D.	Walde,	J.D.	Riedle,	E.H.	Kuhns,	A.S.	Weber,	and	J.B.	Hauge.	2015.	Population	structure	of	the	Florida	Softshell	turtle,	Apalone ferox,	in	a	protected	ecosystem,	Wekiwa	Springs	State	Park,	Florida.	Chelonian Conservation and Biology	14:34–42.Runyan,	 A.L.	 and	 P.A.	Meylan.	 2005.	 PIT	 tag	 retention	 in	Trachemys and Pseudemys. Herpetological Review	35:45–47.Schenider,	R.L.,	M.E.	Krasny,	and	S.J.	Morreale.	2001.	Hands-on Herpetology: Exploring Ecology and Conservation.	NSTA	Press,	Arlington,	Virginia.Weber,	A.W.,	E.C.	Munscher,	J.R.	Brown,	C.A.	Cox,	and	J.B.	Hauge.	2011.	Using	tattoos	to	mark	Apalone ferox	for	individual	recognition.	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The Turtle Head Immobilization System (THIS): A Tool for Faster and Safer Handling and Processing of Aggressive Turtle Species

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The Turtle Head Immobilization System (THIS): A Tool for Faster and Safer Handling and Processing of Aggressive Turtle Species

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