Alligator snapping turtle (male)

Description:

The alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. It is not closely related to, but is often associated with the common snapping turtle. They are the sole living member of the genus Macrochelys - while common snappers are in the genus Chelydra. The epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

Habitat:

Lakes, rivers (especially right below dams), oxbows, and sloughs. It particularly likes canopy covered areas.

Notes:

I work at a zoo and someone called to say they caught an alligator snapping turtle. Well, most of those kinds of calls are just big common snapping turtles and NOT alligator snapping turtles. The former is as common as its name and the latter is much more rare and protected by state law. When the man said it weighed over 100 lbs, we jumped in the car and made the 45 mile trip! It turned out to be a 119 lb male alligator snapping turtle. We measured it, marked it, and released it very close to the capture site, which I will obviously not reveal here. :-)