ALABAMA (WKRG) — Did you know the state of Alabama has a state reptile? Well, along with 27 other states, Alabama has a reptile representing it in the wild.

The state of Alabama adopted the Alabama red-bellied turtle as its state reptile in 1990. Nicknames for the Alabama red-bellied turtle include red-belly, cooter and slider.

It gets its nickname from its red colored plastron, its bottom shell, which can range from pale yellow to dark red. Typically, their plastrons are orange or light red, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

The Alabama red-bellied turtle’s scientific name is Pseudemys alabamensis. Its conservation status has been endangered since 1987 due to habitat loss and exploitation by humans.

In 2008, a 3.4-mile chain-link fence was built by the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to keep turtles from going on Battleship Parkway. According to the Encylopedia of Alabama, the

You can find the species almost exclusively in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, throughout Mobile and Baldwin Counties, and along coastal Alabama.