(Mount 1975). This species is often captured in June by shrimp trawlers off 

 Dauphin Island in about 13 m (42 ft) of water. 



The loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta , is the most common sea turtle in 

 Alabama waters, and has been recorded from both Mobile and Baldwin County 

 waters. Although known to nest on the seaward beaches of Dauphin Island in 

 the past, the only recent records are from the Fort Morgan Peninsula (Mount 

 1975). 



The eastern indigo snake, Drymarchon corais couperi , was originally 

 recorded from both Baldwin and Mobile Counties, although there have been no 

 sightings in this area since the 1930's. It prefers uplands with well- 

 drained, sandy soil (Mount 1975). 



The gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus , and the black pine snake, 

 Pituophis melanoleucas lodingi , may occur in the study area, and although not 

 currently li sted, are considered candidate species for listing by the U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service (Dennis Jordan 11 March 1982; pers. comm.) 



The black pine snake is found in Mobile County and intergrades with 

 Pituophis melanoleucas mugitus in Baldwin County. It prefers well-drained, 

 sandy soil" such as the longleaf pine, turkey oak, and sandhill communities. 

 Like the indigo snake, it is often found in gopher tortoise burrows. 



Gopher tortoises are found on the Coastal Plain of Alabama in sandy, 

 well-drained soils, particularly in longleaf pine, turkey oak, and sandhill 

 communities. Their burrows provide necessary habitat for a variety of 

 species , including snakes, frogs, insects, and mammals. 



The Alabama red-bellied turtle, Pseudemys (=Chrysemys) alabamensis , is 

 found almost exclusively in Mobile and Baldwin Counties in the lower portion 

 of the Mobile Bay drainage from Little River southward. Its habitat includes 

 sluggish rivers, oxbows, and lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation. 



Amphi bians 



The flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum , was previously reported 



from Mobile and Baldwin Counties, although the only recent records are from 



Covington County (and that population may have been extirpated). It is found 

 in low pine flatwoods dominated by slash pine and wiregrass. 



The dusky gopher frog, Rana areolata sevosa , is found from Florida to 

 Louisiana and is known from both Mobile and Baldwin Counties. It is found 

 where gopher tortoise burrows, which they use for shelter, are found close to 

 the shallow, temporary, or semipermanent ponds, where they breed. The 

 species may also use crawfish burrows in areas where no tortoise burrows are 

 found. 



Freshwater Fishes 



The Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrhynchus , was once common in the 

 Mobile River Delta. The species ranges from nearshore in the gulf, up larger 



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