Common Snapping Turtles - Chelydra S. Serpentine
Common snapping turtles range from the United States from the East Coast to the Rock Mountains, from Southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and into Central America. They can live in almost any permanent or semi-permanent type of water including rivers, streams, lakes, bogs, swamps, marshes, and creeks. They also can live in polluted as well as brackish water.
What do Common Snapping Turtles Look Like?
Common Snapping Turtles have a ridged upper shell that is about 10-20 inches long depending on the age of the turtle. Information regarding the average weight of snapping turtles is inconsistent. They weight between from 10 to up to 75 pounds. They are rugged muscular turtles with long necks, large pointed heads, hooked beaks, and powerful jaws. Their legs are thick and muscular with long claws. The distinctive tail is very long, triangular in shape, and covered with boney plates.
Sizes of Snapping Turtles
I saw this Snapping Turtle several times this spring. It is times like this when I know I need a better camera! This turtle is huge. I wonder if he/she weights more than 30 pounds. I bet it does.
Finding wildlife is not always easy
Finding Wildlife
At one point, I thought that he/she might be dead. I'm not always that quiet, and I had a dog with me. I finally threw a rock in the water, and the turtle's head came up.
What do Snapping Turtles Eat?
Snapping Turtles are omnivores. They eat a variety of bugs, frogs, small fish, and crayfish. They also eat a variety of aquatic vegetation.
It is alive!
Reproduction - Eggs
Snapping Turtles dig a single flask-shaped next in a variety of soils. They lay a single clutch of eggs that ranges in size from 10-50. The eggs are spherical in shape and hatch in 75-95 days. Snapping Turtle eggs are taken from the next and eaten by racoons, skunks, foxes, and birds. The small hatchlings are also vulnerable to attach by wading birds.