All About Common Snapping Turtles!
Life-span:
- A common snapping turtle usually lives 50-60 years.
Appearance:
- A common snapping turtle weighs about 18 kg.
- Its shell is a dull olive or dark brown colour with little or no markings. The shell is also quite thin and easily crushed.
- It has a huge, scary looking head with powerful jaws and a sharp beak.
- It has a long, fleshy, spiked tail and the underside is covered in large shields.
- It has broad, webbed feet with strong claws.
Behaviour:
- A common snapping turtle lives in wetlands like bogs, marshes, swamps, streams and rivers.
- It hibernates in the winter and often likes to nestle up to a sunken log.
- It has a good sense of smell and sight.
- It can be very dangerous and bite off a person’s finger or hand if angry!
Diet:
- A common snapping turtle eats mostly fish, but will also eat worms, mice, water fowl and different types of vegetation.
Reproduction:
- A female common snapping turtle usually has 25 babies per year.
- She buries her eggs away from water during early June and they remain there until hatched.
Other:
- It can not withdraw its head, limb or tail into its shell like other turtles.
- The common snapping turtle is good for the environment because it cleans lakes and rivers.
- It is the largest freshwater turtle next to the alligator snapping turtle.
Learn more about other wild animals
