How to Identify a Snapping Turtle
Trek of the Common Snapping Turtle
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Learn about the North American snapping turtle, common snapping turtle facts, and how to identify a snapping turtle in the wild.
by Mark Hall
In this increasingly hectic world, the lives of all mankind are enriched by exposure to the fascinating nature of turtles. So unhurried and deliberate are their movements, it seems a single step is never wasted. On our little acreage here in Ohio, my family and I have been given a front row seat to a number of turtle treks.
Most notable are ones made in late October by a particular common snapping turtle who journeys to our neighbors’ pond. Being cold-blooded, a turtle can’t regulate its body temperature, so with the arrival of cold weather, it needs to find a stable temperature environment. Beneath the surface, ponds remain just above freezing consistently in winter. For this reason, our turtle friend returns every fall and proceeds directly to the muddy bottom. There, she’ll spend the entire winter in a lethargic state known as brumation. In this version of hibernation experienced by reptiles and amphibians, she’ll undergo similar rate decreases in pulse, respiration, and metabolism, along with a comparable drop in body temperature.
More than once, a fun outdoor game or a visit to the poultry yard has been happily interrupted by this cross-country traveler’s emergence into our field. Sightings of the common snapping turtle are infrequent. In fact, it’s the turtle least seen in the state, so these encounters are a treat.
North American Snapping Turtle Characteristics
As soon as we see our turtle friend, we drop what we’re doing and watch as she slowly approaches. Her large, oval head is protrusive, perched conspicuously at the end of a long neck. Undistracted by onlookers, the forward-facing eyes stare squarely ahead, directing her path with precision. We keep our distance because her strong, sharp jaws can cause serious bodily harm. Aggressive on land, snappers have been known to bite off the fingers of careless individuals, as well as the heads of other turtles threatening their territory.
Our visitor plods a straight line directly past us, and we get a closer look at her. The shell, we estimate, measures nearly 18 inches from front to back. Common snapping turtles are the largest we’ve ever seen in the wild and are the largest dwelling in Ohio. However, unlike the tortoise, its shell is much flatter, smoother, and lighter in weight. All of these shell features assist with movement in water.
Because of the flatness of her shell, much of the turtle’s side is exposed. Scaley legs can be easily seen as they methodically churn, making slow but steady progress. Webbed feet are, yet again, another indication that this animal spends a lot of time in the water. Her long claws bring to mind images of her climbing out of ponds and up creek banks.
Eventually, our guest begins to move past us, and the long tail comes very much into view. Her tail is thin with an interesting saw-toothed appearance, caused by a single string of elongated scales on the tail’s upper side.
The neighbors’ wire fence is now just ahead, and the turtle loses no time slipping underneath the bottom wire. The grass on the other side is tall, and our friend disappears from view. However, we still see her path as the grass sways violently with every step.
Moments later, the climb up the hill begins. The journey is almost completed, for at the top is the pond. Still the grasses sway back and forth while she tirelessly scales the slope. Finally, she reaches the top, and for a moment, the climber comes back into view. Without the slightest pause, she takes a few more steps and disappears into the pond. At last, our friend is back home in her winter quarters.
Common Snapping Turtle Facts
In spring, she’ll come full circle, climbing out of the pond to find a male suitor and to make a large nest. Even if mating doesn’t occur in a particular year, she’ll still reproduce before she returns to the water. Amazingly, female snapping turtles can carry viable semen for many years. In May or June, she travels a long distance, often settling a mile from the nearest water source, to find loose, sandy soil for nesting. Upon finding it, she’ll dig a wide, shallow hole with her hind feet and deposit up to 80 soft-shelled eggs. Then she’ll cover them with dirt and travel back to her pond, leaving her offspring for good.
Interestingly, the sex of snapping turtles is determined by egg temperature during development. Nests at 68 degrees Fahrenheit will produce only females, at 70- 72 degrees F will produce both males and females, and at 73-75 degrees F will produce only males. On average, only 10% hatch after an 18-week gestation period due to nest destruction by predators. Even fewer will survive attacks on their immediate instinctive trip to water. Meanwhile, our turtle mother is happily sinking back into the mud in our neighbors’ pond. What a life!
Author’s Note: Perhaps you have just read this article, and you’re thinking, “Wait a minute. Snapping turtles have lungs. How could they possibly stay at the bottom of a frigid pond for several months at a time?!” If so, you’ll be interested to learn that because cold temperatures lower a turtle’s metabolism, a smaller amount of oxygen is necessary. Interestingly, this little bit of needed oxygen is drawn from water movement across the mass of blood vessels found inside the cloaca, the cavity through which the digestive tract empties. In this way, the turtle’s low oxygen requirements are indeed met “in the end.”
Resources
- Bosch, A. (2003). Chelydra serpentina: Common Snapping Turtle.
- Litzgus, J. (2017, November 26). The secret to turtle hibernation: Butt breathing.
- Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. (2022, November 2). Common snapping turtle.
Mark M. Hall lives with his wife, their three daughters, and numerous pets on a four-acre slice of paradise in rural Ohio. Mark is a veteran small-scale chicken farmer and an avid observer of nature. As a freelance writer, he endeavors to share his life experiences in a manner that is both informative and entertaining.
Originally published in the March/April 2024 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
