Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
- Class
- Reptile
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 78,049
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The common snapping turtle is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia, and Florida. The present-day C. serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande suggests that the common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the 17th century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Common snapping turtle”.