Chelydra serpentina

1
Chelydra serpentina

• Family Chelydridae
• Genus Chelydra
• Comprised of 3 Groups
• Macrochelys temminckii (alligator snapping
  turtle),
• Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle)
• Platysternon megacephalum (big-headed turtle)
• ? Distribution
• North America, northern South America, and
  southeastern Asia.
• ? Identification
• - Very large heads and limbs that cannot be
  fully retracted into their shell
• - Strong Jaws
• - Long Tails
• ? Habitat
• - This family as a whole can be either almost
  entirely aquatic
• eg temminckii or primarily terrestrial eg
  megacephalum

2
Chelydra serpentina Snapping Turtle

• Range
• From South Alberta to Nova Scotia in the North,
  and extends south to the Gulf of Mexico and into
  Central Texas.
• Habitat
• Primarily Aquatic
• ? found in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, as
  well as in marshes and swamps where
  concealment is easier.
• Physical Description
• - Long tail (almost as long as their shell) with
  saw toothed keels on it
• - Shell color can be dark brown to tan and
  sometimes even black
• - Tubercles on neck and legs
• - Very small plastron
• - The neck, tail, and legs are yellow in color