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| The common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758). Photographed in northern Will County, Illinois, USA. This is an abundant, widespread species in North America, possibly the most commonly encountered turtle. It is highly aquatic, but it will wander overland in the spring and females leave the water in search of nesting sites in late spring and early summer. Clutch sizes are most likely correlated to the female's body size and clutches of up to 80 eggs have been reported. Eggs require 85-90 days to hatch. It lives in almost all bodies of water and it may prefer those with muddy banks and soft muddy bottoms. It is known to use brackish water habitats in coastal areas. Hibernation aggregations have been reported, and hibernation sites often include muskrat lodges. The snapping turtle is omnivorous, and will take a variety of vegetation, fish, and carrion. |
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| Leeches of the genus Placobdella (Glossiphoniidae) feed on the blood of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). These leeches have been found to be vectors for trypanosome infections in snapping turtles, and they drink the turtle's blood from the bone under the scute. |
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The Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macroclemys temminickii (Harlan, 1835). Two sub adult captive above. The Alligator Snapping Turtle occurs in the Gulf of Mexico drainage basins from northern Florida to the San Antonia River of Texas. It ranges as far north as central Illinois. This huge turtle rarely leaves the water. Carapace length can reach 660 mm, and it may weigh 80 kg. Alligator Snapping Turtles often use deep water, and it is often in moving water with muddy substrates and aquatic vegetation. Clutches of 8-52 eggs are laid from April to June, and require 100-140 days of incubation. It is omnivorous, but probably more carnivorous that herbivorous. Its worm-like tongue is used as lure to attract fish. Ross Allen and Wilfred Neil reported on this in Archie Carr's Handbook of Turtles (1952).
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The Snapping turtles are distributed in the Western Hemisphere from southern Canada through the eastern USA, southeastern Mexico, and southward through Central America to Colombia and Ecuador. There are two genera, both highly aquatic, each with one species. Both species have a reputation for biting, and both are of economic importance. Archie Carr described the family and an interesting bit of history this way in his 1952 book, Handbook of Turtles: The turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California:
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