Snapping Turtle

Scientific Name: Chelydra serpentina
Size: 8-18.5 inches (20-47 cm) in length
PA Status: Abundant

Habitat Type:
Almost any fresh water habitat - Pools, ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, and swamps.

Colorations:

  • The carapace color is light brown, olive-brown to black.
  • The carapacial scales often have dark radiating lines that run from the center to the edge.
  • The plastron is off-white to yellowish grey.
  • The skin of the head, neck, legs, and tail are brown, brownish-grey to brown-black above, and ventrally may be white.
  • The head is unpatterned, but the jaws may have steaks of dark lines

Characteristics:

  • Large aquatic species.
  • The carapace is somewhat oblong and very heavy.
  • The costal and vertebral scutes have raised keels that are more noticeable in hatchlings and juveniles. Older individuals may have a smooth carapace.
  • The posterior margin of the carapace is strongly serrated.
  • The plastron is small and cruciform and connected to the plastron by a pair of long, narrow bridges.
  • The head is large, and the neck is long and thin.
  • The top portion of the head is covered with tuberosities.
  • The jaws are heavy and the lower jaw has a hooked tip.
  • The chin has barbels.
  • The legs are large and thick.
  • The feet have thick claws.
  • The tail is long and thick at the base and tapers to a point.

Juvenile coloration and characteristics:

  • Similar to adults

Confused with:

  • Common Musk Turtle

Coloration/Pattern Photos:
Adults
Snapping Turtle - By: Jeff Hankey Snapping Turtle - By: Dave Emma Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler
Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler
Snapping TUrtle - By: Billy Brown

Juveniles
Snapping Turtle - By: john Smith Snapping Turtle - By: Bob Hamilton Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler
Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler Snapping Turtle - By: John Smith Snapping Turtle - By: Wayne Fidler

Range Map:
Snapping Turtle Range Map

References:

  • Hulse, C. and McCoy C. J. and Ellen Censky ,1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. 188-193pp.
  • Ernst, Carl H. and Lovich, Jeffrey E., and Barbour, Roger W. ,1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 2-18pp.

Photo Credits:

  • John Smith
  • Billy Brown
  • Bob Hamilton
  • Jeff Hankey
  • Wayne Fidler
  • Dave Emma