Alligator snapping turtles are also referred to as alligator snappers or loggerheads. These turtles have large heads and powerful jaws. Their shells have three distinct ridges that run from front to back.  They are found exclusively in North America.

They are the largest freshwater turtles in the North America. The biggest on record was a 236-pound turtle that lived at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo.

Longevity
Alligator snapping turtles typically live about 70 years, but they can potentially live as long as 100 years.

Reproduction
The alligator snapper mates in early spring in eastern Florida and late spring in the Mississippi Valley. The turtles nest about two months later. Each nest usually contains between about 8 and 50 eggs (the average is 25 eggs) and is usually located about 50 yards from the edge of the water. The eggs are incubated for 100 to 140 days, and the hatchlings will emerge in the early fall.

Even though alligator snappers lay many eggs in each nest, it is impossible to predict how many of the eggs will survive. They are often preyed upon by raccoons, and the hatchlings and juvenile snappers are sometimes eaten by fish, birds or otters.

Behavior
Alligator snapping turtles have a small, pink lure in the bottom of their mouths. They use the lure to entice fish as they lie on the bottom of slow-moving bodies of water. When a fish gets close, the turtle quickly snaps its jaws shut to catch its meal.

Because they don’t move around much, the turtles’ ridged backs become covered with algae, making them almost invisible to fish.