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Description
The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The Alligator snapping turtle is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles North America and among the largest in the world. This turtle is given its common name because of its immensely powerful jaws and distinct ridges on its shell that are similar in appearance to the rough, ridged skin of an alligator. Alligator snapping turtles have a large, heavy head, and a long, thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales (osteoderms), giving them a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. The turtles are a solid gray, brown, black, or olive-green in color, and often covered with algae. They have radiating yellow patterns around their eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eyes to keep the turtle camouflaged. Alligator snapping turtles spend most of their lives in water and only nesting females venture onto open land. By day, they may try to attract fish and other prey by sitting quietly at the bottom of murky water and let their jaws hang open to reveal their tongues, which look like small, pink, worm-like lures in the back of their gray mouths, and lure the prey into striking distance. It can spend up to 40-50 minutes underwater as it lures unsuspecting prey close enough to snatch with lightning-quick movements.

Alligator snapping turtles are found primarily in southeastern United States waters. They are found from the Florida Panhandle west to East Texas, north to southeastern Kansas, Missouri, southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, and western Tennessee. They are found on the Missouri River at least as far north as the Gavins Point Dam, the southernmost dam on the Missouri River at Yankton, South Dakota, and are featured in the Gavins Point Dam Aquarium. Alligator snapping turtles live rivers, lakes, and canals.

Diet and Nutrition: Alligator snapping turtles are almost entirely carnivorous. Their natural diets consist primarily of fish and fish carcasses, mollusks, carrion, and amphibians. They also eat snakes, crayfish, worms, water birds, aquatic plants, other turtles and sometimes even Alligators.

Social: Alligator snapping turtles are solitary creatures.

Size: Carapace length is 13.8 to 31.8 inches. Males weigh 176 to 220 pounds, some large individuals have weigh 236 lbs, 249 lbs, 298 lbs and in 1937, a 403 pounds./ Females weigh about 50 pounds.

Description
The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The Alligator snapping turtle is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles North America and among the largest in the world. This turtle is given its common name because of its immensely powerful jaws and distinct ridges on its shell that are similar in appearance to the rough, ridged skin of an alligator. Alligator snapping turtles have a large, heavy head, and a long, thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales (osteoderms), giving them a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. The turtles are a solid gray, brown, black, or olive-green in color, and often covered with algae. They have radiating yellow patterns around their eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eyes to keep the turtle camouflaged. Alligator snapping turtles spend most of their lives in water and only nesting females venture onto open land. By day, they may try to attract fish and other prey by sitting quietly at the bottom of murky water and let their jaws hang open to reveal their tongues, which look like small, pink, worm-like lures in the back of their gray mouths, and lure the prey into striking distance. It can spend up to 40-50 minutes underwater as it lures unsuspecting prey close enough to snatch with lightning-quick movements.

Alligator snapping turtles are found primarily in southeastern United States waters. They are found from the Florida Panhandle west to East Texas, north to southeastern Kansas, Missouri, southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, and western Tennessee. They are found on the Missouri River at least as far north as the Gavins Point Dam, the southernmost dam on the Missouri River at Yankton, South Dakota, and are featured in the Gavins Point Dam Aquarium. Alligator snapping turtles live rivers, lakes, and canals.

Diet and Nutrition: Alligator snapping turtles are almost entirely carnivorous. Their natural diets consist primarily of fish and fish carcasses, mollusks, carrion, and amphibians. They also eat snakes, crayfish, worms, water birds, aquatic plants, other turtles and sometimes even Alligators.

Social: Alligator snapping turtles are solitary creatures.

Size: Carapace length is 13.8 to 31.8 inches. Males weigh 176 to 220 pounds, some large individuals have weigh 236 lbs, 249 lbs, 298 lbs and in 1937, a 403 pounds./ Females weigh about 50 pounds.