Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Adult common snapping turtles live in ponds, lakes, marshes, canals, and slow rivers, usually resting on muddy bottoms or among aquatic vegetation. They are opportunistic omnivores, eating fish, amphibians, invertebrates, carrion, aquatic plants, and occasional small vertebrates. In water they often rely on ambush and powerful jaws, while on land they defend themselves by hissing, lunging, and snapping because they cannot fully withdraw like many other turtles. Large adults are long-lived and may dominate a small wetland feeding territory for many years.
- Type
- Fang / Shell
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Common Snapping Turtle Hatchling
- Common Snapping Turtle Juvenile
- Common Snapping Turtle