On hold will compete against the Reticulated Python.Īlligator snappers are opportunistic carnivores more often at a young age, but are also scavengers. Powerful jaws, has a shell which it can retract back into, is a good swimmer and is good at camoflarge. Mostly fish but will eat anything they can catch. Throughout north america in freash water lakes and streams. Their eyes are also surrounded by a star-shaped arrangement of fleshy filamentous. They have radiating yellow patterns around the eyes, serving to break up the outline of the eye and keep the turtle camouflaged. They are a solid gray, brown, black, or olive- green in color, and often covered with algae. They can be immediately distinguished from the Common Snapping Turtle by the three distinct rows of spikes and raised plates on the carapace, whereas the common snapping turtle has a smoother carapace. The alligator snapping turtle is characterized by a large, heavy head, and a long, thick shell with three dorsal ridges of large scales (osteoderms) giving it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. They are found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.Typically only nesting females will venture onto open land.ĭue to the exotic pet trade and other factors the species has found its way to Asia and Europe with a breeding/research center found in Japan.
The largest freshwater turtle in North America, the alligator snapper keeps to primarily southern U.S. The epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. They are the sole living member of the genus Macrochelys-while common snappers are in the genus Chelydra. It is not closely related to, but is often associated with the common snapping turtle. The alligator snapping turtle ( Macrochelys temminckii) is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world.
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