Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Americhelydia Genus: Chelydra Species: serpentina
The snapping turtle has an enormous head, thick legs and a long tail which is saw-toothed on the upper side. The carapace (top of shell) has three weak keels (ridges) that often have algae growing on them. The plastron (bottom of shell) is small. This turtle is unable to withdraw completely into its shell. The young turtle is black with some gray or olive spots. The adult is olive, gray or black.
This turtle is found in any permanent body of water. Although aquatic, this species is often encountered on land as it migrates from one body of water to another. The animal is very aggressive out of water and will attempt to bite. Bites are estimated to exert over 200 pounds per square inch of pressure, so they are painful and leave large bruising in their wake. However, in water, the snapper is calmer.
In the wild their diet will consist of insects, crayfish, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In captivity, they consume a commercial diet and fish.
Help Feed Our Common Snapping TurtlesIt spends much of its time on the bottom of a water body waiting for prey items to come close. It buries itself in the mud in winter, often near other snapping turtles. Most mating occurs in late spring. The female digs a nest in soil in early June. Eggs hatch in September and October. The snapping turtle eats most anything it can catch, but it will also scavenge and eat vegetation.
Snapping turtles are among the largest freshwater turtles in North America. Some individuals can weigh over 35 pounds, and the all-time record exceeds 75 pounds. In the wild, snapping turtles can live 30–40 years, and in captivity, some have reached 50 years or more.
They’ve been around for more than 90 million years, making them one of the oldest turtle species still living today.
