Common Snapping Turtle
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Family: Chelydridae Genus: Chelydra Species: C. serpentina
Binomial name
Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Snapping Turtle head

The Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a smallest freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada south, west to the Rocky Mountains (and beyond, where introduced), throughout Mexico, and as far south as Ecuador. This species and the larger Alligator Snapping Turtle are both widely referred to as snapping turtles or snappers (though the Common Snapping Turtle, as its name implies, is much more widespread overall). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 676 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Families See text Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudinata, most of whose body is shielded by a special bony shell developed from their ribs. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Genera See below. ... Latin name redirects here. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1467 KB) Summary Common Snapping Turtle found in Virginia Beach on Greatneck Road sidewalk Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1467 KB) Summary Common Snapping Turtle found in Virginia Beach on Greatneck Road sidewalk Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see Turtle (disambiguation). ... The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Troost, 1835 Synonyms Macroclemmys temminckii Boulenger, 1889 Chelonura temminckii Troost, 1835 Testudo planitia Gmelin, 1789 The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. ...

Common snappers are noted for their pugnacious dispositions when out of the water, their powerful beak-like jaws and their highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name "serpentina," meaning "snake-like"). In some areas they are hunted heavily for their meat, a popular ingredient in turtle soup. These turtles have lived for up to 39 years in captivity, while the lifespan of wild individuals is estimated to be around 30 years. For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Snake (disambiguation). ... This page has been successfully copied to the Wikibooks Cookbook using the Import tool. ...

Anatomy and morphology

Chelydra serpentina have smooth, muscular builds with ridged carapaces (though ridges tend to be more pronounced in younger individuals). The carapace (upper shell) length in adulthood may be nearly 50 cm (20 inches) (though 20-36 cm, or 10-14 inches, is more common), with C. serpentina and its subspecies commonly weighing 4.5-16 kg (10-35 lb). Exceptional (often captive and overfed) individuals may reach 34 kg (75 lb). The term carapace refers to a dorsal section of an exoskeleton or shell, in a number of animal groups. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Kg redirects here. ... Look up pound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Ecology and life history

Common habitats are shallow ponds, shallow lakes, or streams. Some may inhabit brackish environments, such as estuaries. Common Snapping Turtles sometimes bask -- though rarely observed -- by floating on the surface with only their carapace exposed, though in the northern parts of their range they will also readily bask on fallen logs in early spring. In shallow waters, Common snappers may lie beneath a muddy bottom with only the head exposed, stretching their long necks to the surface for an occasional breath (note that their nostrils are positioned on the very tip of the snout, effectively functioning as snorkels). Snapping turtles are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter, and are important aquatic scavengers; but they are also active hunters that prey on anything they can swallow, including many invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles (including snakes and smaller turtles), unwary birds and small mammals. Two people reflected in a fish pond A pond is typically a man made body of water smaller than a lake. ... STREAMS is the Unix System V networking architecture. ... Brackish redirects here. ... For other meanings, see Estuary (disambiguation) Río de la Plata estuary An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. ... Crows are omnivores. ... Invertebrate is an English word that describes any animal without a spinal column. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... Reptilia redirects here. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria For the folk-rock band see The Mammals. ...

Snappers will travel extensively overland to reach new habitat or to lay eggs. Pollution, habitat destruction, food scarcity, overcrowding and other factors will drive snappers to move overland; it is quite common to find them traveling far from the nearest water source. This species mates from April through November, with their peak laying season in June and July. The female can hold sperm for several seasons, utilizing it as necessary. Females travel over land to find sandy soil in which to lay their eggs, often some distance from the water. After digging a hole, the female typically deposits 25 to 80 eggs each year, guiding them into the nest with her hind feet and covering them with sand for incubation and protection. Incubation time is temperature-dependent, ranging from 9 to 18 weeks. In cooler climates, hatchlings overwinter in the nest. Look up habitat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... A spermatozoon or spermatozoan ( spermatozoa), from the ancient Greek σπέρμα (seed) and (living being) and more commonly known as a sperm cell, is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... The word incubation (from the Latin incubare, to lie upon) can mean the following: In chemistry or biochemistry, incubation refers to maintaining a system under specific conditions in order to promote a particular reaction. ...

A female Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) looking for a suitable spot to lay her eggs.

She has found a suitable spot, dug a hole in the sandy soil, and is now depositing her eggs.

Closeup of the eggs.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 566 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle User:Moondigger ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 566 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle User:Moondigger ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 735 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle User:Moondigger ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 735 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle User:Moondigger ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 252 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle Egg (biology) User:Moondigger ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 252 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Snapping turtle Egg (biology) User:Moondigger ...

Systematics & taxonomy

Four subspecies of Common Snapping Turtle are typically recognized: C. s. serpentina is the form present across the majority of its range, occurring east of the Continental Divide into most of the southern United States, and parts of northern Mexico. C. s. osceola occurs only in Florida up to the Okefenokee area of southern Georgia. C. s. acutirostris and C. s. rossignonii are neotropical, C. s. rossignonii occurring in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras while C s. acutirostris ranges from Nicaragua across the Central American isthmus down the South American Pacific coastal region. This article is about the zoological term. ... A continental divide is a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 400,000 acre (1600 km²), peat-filled swamp located near the southern border of Georgia, in the United States. ... Neotropical or Neotropic relates to a biogeographical region in the New World, bordered in the north by the dry areas in Mexico and the southern states of the USA. in the south by southern Patagonia. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Isthmus (disambiguation). ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...

Evolutionary history

Chelydra is an exclusively New World genus. Its latest occurrence is from the late Barstovian (middle Miocene) of Cherry County, Nebraska. This assignment is based on a single partial right hypoplastron that is described as being markedly more massive and rugose than C. serpentina. No species assignment was made for this specimen. Published reports of Chelydra from the Pliocene involve very scant material. A large, undescribed fossil member is known from upper Pliocene localities of northern Florida. Specimens of this new species are by far the largest Chelydra ever discovered, reaching a carapace length of over 197 cm (50 inches). Abundant records of Chelydra from the Pleistocene have been published. Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ... Cherry County is a county located in the state of Nebraska. ... The plastron is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a tortoise, what we would call the belly, similar in composition to the carapace; with an external layer of horny material divided into plates called scutes and an underlying layer of interlocking bones. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... The term carapace refers to a dorsal section of an exoskeleton or shell, in a number of animal groups. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ...

Importance to humans

In captivity

It is a common misconception that Common snappers may be not picked up by its tail, with alot of harm to the animal; in fact, this has a high chance of injuring the turtle, especially the tail itself and the vertebral column.^{[citation needed]} A handler must also be wary of injury; these turtles are aptly named, as they can snap with amazing speed and power - a large adult snapper can easily bite off a finger or toe. If moving it is absolutely necessary, scooping and lifting the turtle just off the ground with a shovel (especially a snow shovel), if done quickly, may be safest and easiest for all concerned parties. A diagram of a thoracic vertebra. ...

Lifting the turtle with the hands is easy and safe. Some snappers can -- and will -- stretch their necks halfway back across their own carapace to smell. Manual lifting (which should be done only if no other options are available) is best accomplished by sliding fingers behind the turtle's hind legs, with the tail between the hands, and gripping the turtle between the fingers and thumbs. The handler then proceeds to lift the turtle only just off the ground. The turtle will probably squirm and try to dislodge the handler's hands with its hind legs. Even a small snapper is relatively powerful for its size, with long sharp claws; further, due to their aquatic inclinations, these turtles are often slimy and wet, and they are good at causing prospective handlers to lose their grip. In any case that a snapping turtle must be handled, it is best to have the turtle on the ground or very close. Wild turtles may be covered with a smelly pond slime and may also defecate, urinate, or musk on a handler. Moschus moschiferus, Siberian musk deer Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals. ...

In politics

The Common snapper, known commonly and in folklore as the "Ograbme," was the central feature of a famous American political cartoon. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This early political cartoon by Ben Franklin was originally written for the French and Indian War, but was later recycled during the Revolutionary War An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message. ...

A political cartoon depicting merchants attempting to dodge the "Ograbme."

Published in 1808 in protest at the Jeffersonian Embargo Act of 1807, the cartoon depicted a snapping turtle, jaws locked fiercely to an American trader who was attempting to carry a barrel of goods onto a British ship. The trader was seen whimsically uttering the words "Oh! this cursed Ograbme" ("embargo" spelled backwards). This piece is widely considered a pioneering work within the genre of the modern political cartoon. Image File history File linksMetadata Ograbme. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Ograbme. ... Year 1808 (MDCCCVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... The Embargo Act was a series of laws passed by the Congress of the United States between the years 1806-1808, during the second term of President Thomas Jefferson. ... Union Flag (1606-1800 The united Kingdom of Great Britain, also sometimes known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was created by the merger of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England under the 1707 Act of Union to create a single kingdom encompassing the whole of... For delayed access after publication, see Embargo (academic publishing). ... For the gay mens lifestyle magazine, see Genre (magazine). ...

The year 2006 saw the snapping turtle declared the "state reptile" of New York by a sweeping vote of the New York Legislature after being popularly chosen by the state's public elementary school children. [1] Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the state. ... The New York Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. state of New York, seated at the states capital, Albany. ... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ...

Gallery

Common Snapping Turtle eying a plank Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1693 KB) Summary Common Snapping Turtle found in Virginia Beach on Greatneck Road sidewalk Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...	Turtle snaps/bites at the plank Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1635 KB) Summary Common Snapping Turtle found in Virginia Beach on Greatneck Road sidewalk Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...	Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) Image File history File links Common snapping turtle crossing road in northern Minnesota. ...	Common snapper and Canada Goose snapping turtle predator Photo by Pollinator, Fairfield Glade, TN July 2003 Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 05:49, Sep 19, 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For the outerwear manufacturer, see Canada Goose (clothing). ...
Common Snapping Turtle sunning atop a beaver lodge Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Beaver (disambiguation). ...	Common Snapping Turtle Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1531x1021, 631 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Chelydridae Snapping turtle User:Moondigger ...	Common Snapping Turtle on wooden porch Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...	Common Snapping Turtle being held Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

External links

• The Snapping Turtle Page - www.chelydra.org
• Snapping turtle attempts to bite hiker's camera
• Snapping Turtle - Chelydra serpentina Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide