- Common snapping turtles are found in North America, Central America and parts of South America.map of north and central america green image by patrimonio designs from Fotolia.com
The common snapping turtle resides in lakes and rivers in North America, Central America, and parts of South America. In the United States, the common snapping turtle can be found in the Midwest and all along the East Coast.
- Snapping turtles have a thick tail.snapping turtle in shell image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com
The common snapping turtle has a large shell, sharp claws on its feet and a thick tail. The underbelly of the snapping turtle is quite soft and vulnerable. Unlike box turtles, the snapping turtle does not tend to pull its head or limbs into its shell for protection but instead is known to be aggressive when threatened, snapping and biting at the predator.
- Though it can swim, the common snapping turtle prefers to wait for its prey at the bottom of a lake or river.horned snapping turtle image by Lucid_Exposure from Fotolia.com
Though they spend much of their time in the water, the common snapping turtle does not swim often. Instead, it waits, partially submerged in the water, for its prey to swim by. Then it grabs its prey from the water. The common snapping turtle tends to plant itself on the muddy bottom of a lake or river rather than swim a lot in the water.
- The snapping turtle "snaps" its prey out of the water with its long, sharp jaws.turtle image by cherie from Fotolia.com
The common snapping turtle kills its prey by using its long, pointed jaw to "snap" its prey in its mouth. The snapping turtle kills fish, frogs and birds such as ducks and geese. The common snapping turtle has a wide throat which allows it to swallow large pieces of food in one gulp such as whole fish and baby ducks and geese. The common snapping turtle also eats plants, including underwater plants in lakes and rivers. It has also been known to eat worms, water snakes and leeches. The common snapping turtle has a slender, wormlike attachment on the tip of its tongue, which it uses to catch fish by luring them with it.
- The female snapping turtle leaves the water in order to make a nest and lay her eggs.common snapping turtle (chelydra serpentina) image by Bruce MacQueen from Fotolia.com
After mating, the female common snapping turtle builds its nest usually between the months of October and April. The turtle digs in the sand or mud to make a small hole and then lays its eggs inside the hole. A female snapping turtle can lay between 20 and 80 eggs at one time. The baby turtles emerge from the eggs about three months after they are laid.