Alligator Snapping Turtle
Taxonomic Classification of Alligator Snapping Turtle Macrochelys temminckii (Troost, 1835):
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Reptilia
Order- Testudines
Family- Chelydridae
Genus- Macrochelys
Species- M. temminckii
Habitat:
Lives in river, lakes, streams or other freshwater bodies
Largest freshwater turtle in North America
Also found in Southern US, Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi river
Can stay under water for three hours and rarely bask in the sun
Females come out of water only for laying eggs
Characteristic features:
- Large, dark brown and heavy head
- Solid shell with three scaly and spiked ridges on the surface of the carapace giving it an armored and scary look
- Carapace is a combination of black, brown, gray and olive green while the eyes are encircled with yellow lines which help them to camouflage under water
- Star-shaped, yellow and fleshy filaments (eyelashes) around the eyes.
- Average weight of an adult is 175 pounds (the heaviest one recorded is 236 pounds at the Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago)
- Long, muscular tail with thick base
- Numerous fleshy warts are present on their skin
- Webbed toes with big, tough claws
- Plastron (lower shell) is smaller than the carapace
- A vermiform (worm-like) tongue is present inside their mouth which they use to lure and catch the prey
- Their bite is the second strongest in the world
Difference between male and female alligator snapping turtles:
Adult male alligator snapping turtles are bigger than the females and grow about 16 to 32 inches
The tail base of the female is thinner than that of the male
Female cloaca is found near the plastron which, in an adult male, is away from the carapace border
Identification is possible by using a particular ‘sexing probe’, but that should be done strictly by an expert
Diet:
They are mainly carnivores and eat fish, amphibians, mollusks, worms or any other small creatures, but if necessary they may convert into omnivores or scavengers too.
Reproduction:
Mating occurs during spring season
Nests are dug about 50 yards away from the water to protect their eggs from flood water
Around 30 days after mating, a clutch of 10 to 50 spherical, white and hard-shelled eggs are laid by the female
Incubation temperature determines the sex of the hatchlings
Hatchlings surface after 100 to 140 days and crawl back to the nearby water body
They may survive more than 100 years
Last words:
Alligator snapping turtles are aggressive; hence be careful!
They are threatened due to various human activities. Protect them!
To find out more information about species of turtles please visit: Alligator Snapping Turtles