Alligator turtle
Alligator snapping turtle: The alligator snapping turtle or the ‘Macrochelys temminkii’, giant of the southeastern states, is the largest fresh water turtle in North America. It is a large, thick tailed turtle, with a dorsal ridge of large scales. Alligator snapping turtles have extraordinary strength and can be very violent when cornered. They are mostly found in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and western Tennessee, western Kentucky, eastern Texas, northwestern and southwestern Georgia and Florida. The alligator snapping turtle could be found as far as the southern tip of Ontario in Canada.
Similar to the common snapping turtles, the alligator snapping turtles inhabit slow moving streams, lakes and swamps. They can stay submerged in the water for fifty minutes at a stretch. The radiating yellow patterns around the eyes of an alligator snapping turtle helps it to remain camouflaged underwater. Alligator snapping turtles are carnivores and scavengers. Their diet consists primarily of fish, invertebrates, carrion and amphibians. Snakes, aquatic plants and even other turtles fall prey to them.
The potential life span of alligator snapping turtle is still unknown, but they are believed to live for a hundred years. The alligator snapping turtles are often kept in captivity and are available in the animal trade. Owing to their large size and specific needs, they are not suitable as pets. However, there are people who do adopt baby snapping alligator turtles.
Sale of an Alligator Turtle: Though freshwater turtles are usually caught manually or by baited hooks, sometimes bows, dip nets and traps are also used. The law prohibits the sale of the alligator turtle and according to 68A- 25.002 there are specific provisions for possession and sale of reptiles. No person is allowed to buy, sell or possess an alligator snapping turtle. No one is allowed to possess more than an egg of the alligator turtle, unless authorized by a permit from the wildlife conservation commission. Price of a healthy snapping alligator turtle would be better price in comparison to a weaker one. The collection of alligator turtles for pet trade is the biggest threat to the species. The hatchlings of alligator snapping turtles are being exported as well as imported. The grown up specimens are harvested for human consumption. The meat is a delicacy and very expensive.
Picture of alligator turtle: There are various dedicated websites on wild life that display a number of pictures of alligator turtles. Besides pictures, these websites provide you with in-depth information on the snapping alligator turtles. The information enables us to identify its distinct features, diet and habitat. The websites are dedicated to the protection of this endangered species. The pictures of the common snappers clearly highlight their large heads, long tails and tiny cross-shaped grayish brown plastron. However, on observing a photo of a snapping alligator turtle, online, you can easily identify the difference between the two. The snapping alligator turtle has three pronounced ridges on the carapace, while the common snapper has a smoother shell.
The alligator snapping turtle is one of the most endangered species and is often referred to as the ‘dinosaur of the turtle world’.
More