Common Snapping Turtle

on May 26, 2010

Design

Common Snapping Turtle

The snapping turtle is known as a scavenger. It will also prey on diseased fish and the young of ducks and other waterfowl. However, it was originally a plant-eater; this changed after the Fall. This species is designed with webbed feet, making it an excellent swimmer.

Features

  • The common snapping turtle can vary in color from black to tan. Its tail can reach or even surpass the length of its body.
  • The snapping turtle is not an aggressive animal by nature; however, it will snap when it feels threatened, especially while it is on land.

Fun Facts

  • The common snapping turtle will bury itself in mud with just its eyes and nostrils sticking out, to ambush its prey.
  • The female can store sperm for several years. She lays as many as 83 eggs, normally in a hole in sandy soil.

Created Kind Members

Alligator snapping turtle

CLASS: Reptilia (reptiles)
ORDER: Testudines (tortoises and turtles)
FAMILY: Chelydridae (snapping turtles)
GENUS/SPECIES: Chelydra serpentina

Size: About 7–18 in (0.2–0.5 m)
Weight: 9–36 lbs (4–16 kg)
Original Diet: Plants
Present Diet: Fish, small mammals and birds, plants, and carrion
Habitat: Fresh or brackish water bodies, preferably with muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation, from southern Canada to central Texas

Zoo Guide

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