Interesting Facts About Alligator Snapping Turtles

Male alligator snapping turtles weigh between 155 and 175 pounds when fully grown. They are the largest known freshwater turtle and are often compared with dinosaurs because of their primitivelike appearance. They have large heads with strong, beaklike jaws and spiky ridges running along their shell. They live in deep, muddy holes in the rivers and streams of the southeastern part of the United States. They are most at home in the water.

  1. Habitat

    • Alligator turtles make their home in the waterways that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. They remain almost motionless in the water and stay submerged for 40 to 50 minutes at a time. Algae often grow on their shells, which makes them invisible to marine life and allows them to snatch prey that wanders close. Females nest on land and, on occasion, males will bask in the sun. Young turtles live in small steams.

    Diet

    • Alligator snapping turtles in captivity are fed fish, mice, worms and a nutritionally balanced diet. Wild turtles usually hunt and feed nocturnally. They like to eat all types of fish, clams, worms, aquatic plants, frogs, snakes, snails and other turtles. Their bright red, worm-shaped tongues are like magnets to their prey and make hunting simple for the turtle because marine life is attracted to the color and motion of the tongue.

    Reproduction

    • Mating occurs in the early spring in Florida and late spring in the Mississippi Valley. The male grasps the female's shell from behind when he inseminates her. Nesting takes place in the sand one to two months later and incubation takes up to 4 1/2 months before hatching occurs.

    Life Span

    • Incubation temperature determines the sex of the hatchlings, which arrive in autumn and are born looking like adult turtles. Sexual maturity comes between the 11th and 13th year into their long life span, which ranges from 20 to 70 years in captivity. Their only predators are human, who harvest them for their meat or keep them in captivity as pets and for their own amusement.

    Threats

    • Dam construction, river flooding, dredging and overharvesting all threaten the alligator turtle population. Preserving their habitat can be achieved by protecting wetlands and streams through land and easement acquisition. Additional harvesting regulations by the federal government and less carelessness by the boating and fishing community would also help protect the turtles.