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The alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. Although it was once believed that only one extant species exists in the genus Macrochelys , recent studies have shown that there are two species, the other being the Suwannee snapping turtle M.

The alligator snapping turtle is given its common name because of its immensely powerful jaws and distinct ridges on its shell that are similar in appearance to the rough, ridged skin of an alligator.

It is also slightly less commonly known as “the loggerhead snapper” not to be confused with the loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead musk turtle. The alligator snapping turtle is found primarily in freshwaters of the southeastern United States. They are generally only found in bodies of water that flow into the Gulf of Mexico and usually do not occur in isolated wetlands or ponds.

A study done found that the turtles prefer places with canopy cover, overhanging trees, shrubs, dead submerged trees, and beaver dens. There are non-native established invasive populations of the alligator snapping turtle in South Africa. Females will have large home ranges. The alligator snapping turtle is characterized by a large, heavy head, and a long, thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales osteoderms , giving it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs , most notably Ankylosaurus.

It can be immediately distinguished from the common snapping turtle by the three distinct rows of spikes and raised plates on the carapace , whereas the common snapping turtle has a smoother carapace. It has radiating yellow patterns around the eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eyes to keep the turtle camouflaged.

The eyes are also surrounded by a star-shaped arrangement of fleshy, filamentous “eyelashes”. Though not verified, a kg lb alligator snapping turtle was found in Kansas in , [15] but the largest verifiable one is debatable. One weighed at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago was a year resident giant alligator snapper weighing kg lb , sent to the Tennessee Aquarium as part of a breeding loan in , where it subsequently died.

Another weighing kg lb was housed at the Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago. Another large turtle reportedly weighed kg lb. Breeding maturity is attained around 8 kg 18 lb , when the straight carapace length is around 33 cm 13 in , but then the species continues to grow throughout life.

Usually very old males comprise the specimens that weigh in excess of 45 kg 99 lb per most population studies. In mature specimens, those with a straight carapace length over 30 cm 12 in , males and females can be differentiated by the position of the cloaca from the carapace, and by the thickness of the base of the tail.

A mature male’s cloaca extends beyond the carapace edge, a female’s is placed exactly on the edge if not nearer to the plastron. The base of the tail of the male is also thicker as compared to that of the female because of the hidden reproductive organs. The inside of the turtle’s mouth is camouflaged, and it possesses a vermiform worm-shaped appendage on the tip of its tongue used to lure fish , a form of aggressive mimicry.

This turtle must be handled with extreme care and considered potentially dangerous. The alligator snapping turtle is an opportunistic feeder that is almost entirely carnivorous. It relies on both live food caught by itself and dead organisms which it scavenges.

In general, it will eat almost anything it can catch. Fishermen have glorified the species’ ability to catch fish and to deplete fish populations, whereas in fact it largely targets any abundant and easily caught prey, and rarely has any extensive deleterious effect on fish populations.

The alligator snapping turtle seemingly most often hunts at night. It may also hunt diurnally, however. By day, it may try to attract fish and other prey by sitting quietly at the bottom of murky water and letting its jaws hang open to reveal its tongue appendage, which looks like a small, pink, worm in the back of its gray mouth, and lure the prey into striking distance.

The mouth is then closed with tremendous speed and force, completing the ambush. Although the turtle does not actively hunt its prey, it can detect chemosensory cues from prey, like the mud turtle in order to choose the location in which it is most likely to catch food. In captivity, it may consume almost any kind of meat provided, including beef, chicken, rabbit, and pork.

It will refuse to eat if exposed to extremes in temperature. Maturity is reached around 12 years of age. About two months later, the female builds a nest and lays a clutch of 10—50 eggs. This is called temperature dependent sex determination , and it is used by all turtle species to determine sex.

For the alligator snapping turtle, higher temperatures produce more males in a clutch. Incubation takes from to days, and hatchlings emerge in the early fall.

Though its potential lifespan in the wild is unknown, the alligator snapping turtle is believed to be capable of living to years of age, but 80 to is more likely.

The alligator snapping turtle is most vulnerable to predators before and shortly after hatching. The eggs can be eaten by birds or mammals. The risk of predation decreases as the turtle gets bigger, so the adult turtle does not have as many predators.

Humans are also a threat to the alligator snapping turtle. The alligator snapping turtle is sometimes captive-bred as a pet and is readily available in the exotic animal trade. Due to its potential size and specific needs, it does not make a particularly good pet for any but the most experienced aquatic turtle keepers. It prefers to feed on live fish, but will readily feed on other types of meat or leafy vegetables if offered.

Hand feeding is dangerous. Extreme temperatures are known to affect the turtle’s appetite and would result in the turtle refusing to feed until the temperature has been regulated. Due to the turtle’s sheer size, handling adult specimens can pose significant problems. Small turtles can be held by the sides of the shell with relative safety, but large individuals must be held by grabbing the turtle’s shell just behind the head and in front of the tail.

Despite its reputation, the alligator snapping turtle is typically not prone to biting. However, if provoked, it is quite capable of delivering a powerful bite which can easily amputate fingers or cause other significant injuries, such as cuts. Some alligator snapping turtles were released or escaped into waters of the Czech Republic , Germany and Hungary.

In Bavaria , one turtle caused injury to a child, but was not caught. Because of collection for the exotic pet trade, overharvesting for its meat, and habitat destruction, some states have imposed bans on collecting the alligator snapping turtle from the wild. The alligator snapping turtle is now endangered in several states, including Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri, where it is protected by state law.

In October , one was found in the Prineville Reservoir in Oregon. It was captured and euthanized by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which considers alligator snapping turtles to be an invasive species. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Large freshwater turtle from the Eastern United States. Conservation status. Vulnerable IUCN 2. Troost , [1]. Genus synonymy [2].

Species synonymy [2]. Retrieved June 5, Vertebrate Zoology. Archived from the original PDF on May 1, Animal Records. Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN The Southwestern Naturalist. S2CID Archived from the original on July 10, Retrieved July 9, The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Reptile Database. Retrieved September 26, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group In Rhodin, A.

Chelonian Research Monographs. PMID Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Invasive Species South Africa. Archived from the original on August 26, Daren; Shipman, Paul A. January ISSN Archived from the original on March 7, Retrieved March 26, Journal of Parasitology. Retrieved on August 22, Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Herpetological Conservation and Biology.

Alligator Snapping Turtle | North Carolina Zoo.Alligator Snapping Turtle | National Wildlife Federation

Bussone, C. Ewart, I. Kaplan, K. Kiefer, S. Lindsay, E. Merrill, W. Moretz, J. Roberts, E. He is estimated to be between and years old! Max came to the North Carolina Zoo in He is the larger of our two turtles, weighing in at pounds. Our second Alligator Snapping Turtle is a female named Igor.

Think Igor is a strange name for a girl? When she arrived at the Zoo in , she was believed to be a male. We discovered that she is indeed a female this past summer when she began laying eggs! Igor is much smaller than Max, weighing in at just 46 pounds. Previously, a person had removed her from the wild and kept her as a pet in poor conditions. She was eventually rescued and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center before coming to the North Carolina Zoo.

During the warmer months usually from around May through October , keepers feed the turtles either herring or trout three days per week. Stripeneck Musk Turtle. Thick bands on the neck an head are a tell-tale sign of the striped musk turtle. Found in the river and lakes of the North Carolina mountains little is known about this particular species. Aptly names the musk turtle will resale and pungent smell when threatened.

They are a very aquatic species and are found all over North Carolina. Family Trionychidae Spiny Softshell With a distinct flat body shape the spiny soft shell turtle has leathery studded skin.

Family Emydidae Bog Turtle These tiny turtles prefer wetlands as then spend a majority of their time buried in the mud. Chicken Turtle There name is derived from the flavor of their meat. Diamondback Terrapin Diamondbacks are primarily found in brackish water, though they can survive in freshwater they prefer the coastal marshes as their diet mainly consist of snail and crabs, so much so that they are often found in commercial crab traps.

Eastern Box Turtle These turtles have a highly domed carapace and a hinged plastron. Florida Cooter These herbivorous aquatic turtles are often found basking on downed logs along river banks.

Painted Turtle As its name suggested the painted turtle has a unique shell with red, black and yellow accents. Category: Questions Are there alligator snapping turtles in North Carolina? Alligator Snapping Turtles are native to the waterways of the southern US. They are not native to the state of North Carolina — so if you ever come across a snapping turtle in NC, it would be the Common Snapping Turtle, a cousin of the Alligator Snapper. Common Snapping Turtle. Description: The snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North Carolina.

It has a very large head, a long neck, and a long tail, which is saw-toothed along the top. The carapace top of shell is large and varies in color from black to light brown. Snapping turtles are fairly common throughout North Carolina, and they occur in most aquatic habitats.

They are not currently listed under any category of special protection, but a wildlife collection license is required to collect more than four reptiles in a year. Alligator snapping turtles are found exclusively in the United States, from northern Florida to eastern Texas and as far north as Iowa.

These hunting pressures have resulted in further declines. Roads are one of the biggest hazards for snapping turtles. Photo: Lance Paden. Fortunately, snapping turtles are still commonly seen in the wild. The Museum has another Common Snapping Turtle currently on display so that guests can get an up-close glimpse of this remarkable species.

For more information about our upcoming activities, conservation news and ground-breaking research, follow naturalsciences on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook. Images available upon request Common Snapping Turtle. Snapping turtle. Photo: Peter Hortensius. Alligator snappers are well-known ambush predators who lurk in the bottom of rivers and lakes.

Oh Snap! Caring for Alligator Snapping Turtles | North Carolina Zoo.Alligator snapping turtle – Wikipedia

 
Turtle Ownership Laws in North Carolina. You can own up to 5 turtles without a permit from the state. If you want to own more than 5 you will need to get a permit. It is illegal to own the . Photo by Bryan Henderson on Flickr. Description: Common Snapping Turtles can range in color from brown to usually have very long legs, necks, and tails. And they have a . The alligator snapping turtle doesn’t live in North Carolina. It is a different species that is confined to rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. As the largest freshwater turtle in North .

Are there alligator snapping turtles in North Carolina? – The Native Turtles of North Carolina

Retrieved July 9, The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Reptile Database. Retrieved September 26, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group In Rhodin, A. Chelonian Research Monographs. PMID Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Invasive Species South Africa. Archived from the original on August 26, Daren; Shipman, Paul A. January ISSN Archived from the original on March 7, Retrieved March 26, Journal of Parasitology.

Retrieved on August 22, Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. Archived from the original on April 8, Southeastern Naturalist. Encyclopedia of Turtles. Neptune, New Jersey: T. Publications, Inc. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Animal Diversity Web. The turtles love to hide out under the shelter of these branches.

We also provide them with underwater logs that the turtles enjoy hiding under or pushing around the pool. Did you know that Alligator Snapping turtles can be trained? Keepers use food rewards fish as positive reinforcement during training.

We give the turtles a cue by tapping the surface of the water with the feeding tongs. The turtles have learned that if they come toward this sound, they are rewarded with food. Training the turtles helps keepers develop a positive relationship with them. Did you know alligator snapping turtles can stay underwater for 45 minutes before taking another breath?

Learn more about alligator snapping turtles. Plan Your Visit. Experience the Zoo. We’re on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children’s publications, products, and activities.

In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Alligator Snapping Turtle. Classification: Reptile.

Description Alligator snapping turtles are sometimes described as dinosaur-like because of their spiky shells and primitive-looking faces. Range Alligator snapping turtles are found exclusively in the United States, from northern Florida to eastern Texas and as far north as Iowa.

Despite the Least Concern label their numbers have declined over recent decades. The main threat comes from habitat loss, the pet trade and road mortality. Females are especially vulnerable as they can be hit by motor vehicles while crossing roads in search of nesting sites. Snappers are also hunted for their meat and eggs, which is made into turtle soup, and considered a delicacy in some states.

These hunting pressures have resulted in further declines. Roads are one of the biggest hazards for snapping turtles. Photo: Lance Paden. Fortunately, snapping turtles are still commonly seen in the wild. The Museum has another Common Snapping Turtle currently on display so that guests can get an up-close glimpse of this remarkable species. For more information about our upcoming activities, conservation news and ground-breaking research, follow naturalsciences on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook.

This makes them cumbersome for custom made aquariums you will find in the market hat are usually small in size. The good news for hobbyists wishing to keep baby snapping turtle is that baby snapping turtles are usually small and will easily be kept in small aquariums.

Common snapping turtles, which sometimes reach more than 30 pounds, can bite a person and even leave a memorable scar, but they are small compared to alligator snappers. An alligator snapper can bite a finger off, and I know of three documented cases.

One of these is someone I know who now has only nine fingers. It is unlawful for any person to take, or have in possession, any nongame mammal or bird unless that person has a collection license or is collecting fewer than 5 reptiles or fewer than 25 amphibians that are not endangered, threatened, or special concerned species.

While it may be tempting to take a wild turtle home, it is important for both the well-being of wildlife and people to keep wildlife wild. Like all wild animals, turtles can carry diseases and parasites. Also federal law prohibits the removal of some species of turtles from the wild. The largest snapping turtle ever officially recorded was a 16 year old alligator snapping turtle that weighed in at a massive pounds.