Snapping Turtle

The range of the snapping turtle extends across a large swath of the North American continent, from southeast Canada as far west as the Rocky Mountains and from Nova Scotia in the north as far south as Florida.

Snapping turtles have many unique characteristics that distinguish them from other turtles. First, the snapping turtle's shell has three pronounced ridges that range from black, brown, tan to olive in color. The ridges will be more pronounced in younger turtles. The plastron (belly) of the snapper has a yellowish color. The snapper's eyes have a black, spotted pattern resembling a cross. The skin of the snapping turtle is covered with tubercles and scales and can be black, grey, brown, tan, olive or yellow, but usually a combination of these colors (the skin tends to be much brighter on the underside).

Like other turtles, snappers have an extremely long lifespan. They usually live about 30 years in the wild, though they have lived up to 47 years in captivity. Snapping turtles can vary in size, depending on their diet. In the wild, snapping turtles can average anywhere from 10 to 35 pounds. In capitivity, grossly overfed snappers can reach 75 pounds. Snapping turtles mate during the summer months. A female will lay eggs in shallow, sandy soil, bury them using her hind legs and then abandon them. They will eventually hatch after a 9 to 18 week incubation period. If they do not hatch until too late in the year, newborn turtles may overwinter in the nest. Snapping turtles will travel extremely long distances to find food or a suitable area to lay their eggs.

The common habitats of the snapping turtle are shallow ponds, shallow lakes, or streams; they are not usually found in swamps, though they may inhabit estuaries. Unless they are sunning themselves on logs or rocks, snappers usually will lay on the bottom of the lake or pond, covering themselves with mud and exposing only their head. From this position they will hunt by aquatic "ambush", waiting until prey move by and then lunging out quickly with their flexible necks and powerful jaws. Snapping turtles are omnivores, feeding on both plant and animal matter. In fact, they are important aquatic scavengers that play an important role in freshwater aquatic ecosystems. They are also active hunters and will prey on anything they can swallow, including many invertebrates, fish, frogs, reptiles (including snakes and smaller turtles), unwary birds, and small mammals. They are plentiful in the Huron River system (Milford, Brighton, Greek Oak, Lakeland, Hamburg, Pinckney, Dexter, Hell, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanty, Monroe) and are found throughout the state.