A lifelong fascination with and decades of research on turtles lands Missouri State University professor of biology Don Moll on a short list of those who actively seek to uncover the mysteries of a species that is millions of years old.
"There really aren't that many people out there that study turtles," says Moll, "and there are about 300 species. There (are) so many different places and their ecologies are so different, there's always questions, always more questions that need answers, so it's not hard to come up with a project that's going to yield new information."
Moll, along with his older brother Edward, authored "The Ecology, Exploitation and Conservation of River Turtles." Published in 2004 by Oxford University Press, the book offers an in-depth overview of river turtles by exploring their habitats, populations, reproductive habits, predators and food sources. The book looks into the factors that threaten the survival of nearly 100 species of river turtles, and then makes recommendations for management plans.
Moll's interest in turtles came easily enough; his dad taught biology and Moll's childhood home in Illinois housed its share of reptiles and amphibians. Both Edward and Don Moll became professors at universities, both taught biology and both focused on turtles.
Moll's office in Temple Hall on the MSU campus is sparse in wall coverings and knick-knacks. What he does have in his Temple space, though, is mostly turtle related, right down to a faux turtle bookend and a framed photo of his recently deceased 35-year-old South American Red-footed tortoise, Lamoine.
In the basement of Temple is a menagerie of turtles 56-year-old Moll tends to. He leaves campus and goes into the community to speak about turtles and carts his miniature zoo with him.
"They're so different than anything else," says Moll. "A lot of people out there like turtles. They're so unique. There's a famous paleontologist that once said, 'If turtles were known only from the fossil record and had gone extinct, we'd think they were some of the most remarkable animals that ever lived. But since they're all around us, we sort of take them for granted.' ... The shell; they did that maybe 250 million years ago when they first evolved, and it worked for them so they stayed with that design through all that time."
Even as the shell may be key to turtles' longevity, their survival is not a given. Humans pose the biggest threat to turtles or tortoises, says Moll, adding that the terms turtle and tortoise are interchangeable, especially to those who aren't experts.
The biggest threat to turtles comes from their appeal as a diet staple. China, in particular, is "sucking dry" the turtle population in Asia, says Moll. In addition, the Chinese use turtles for medicinal purposes by grinding shells into powder. The pet trade, too, adds to the decrease in population of turtles, says Moll, as does the shell's use in jewelry. Add in degradation of habitat, and the turtle is in decline.
Moll has traveled the world in search of turtles. Projects have taken him to Central and South America, Africa and Asia.
In the Ozarks, Moll and his graduate students work to study and log the habits of turtles close to home. Lake Taneycomo provides opportunity, particularly since the waterway once held warm water that now runs cold through the damming of the White River. And as Moll points out, there are always more questions that need answers when it comes to an animal that fascinates many.
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