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Somebody who knows more than I ought to discuss that they are a common host for leeches. 00:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)jsmerc01
If this article includes all snapping turtles,
Theres some big ole boys down where i come from. We found one and named him rocky.
______________they are aleins
The image from Holbrook's "North American Herpetology" is that of an Alligator snapper. Any objections if I remove it? 2604:2000:7117:900:340C:F3CC:1001:3FE1 ( talk) 01:35, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
I moved the soup links to the Turtle soup article, and added a link to the Turtle soup article here.-- BillFlis 13:15, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
One editor had it as the largest fresh-water turtle in the world, but another demoted it to "one of the largest". Is it indeed the largest or not? Anybody got a citation?-- BillFlis 01:54, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The worlds largest is still up for debate, but The Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys bibroni) is at the top of the list. MFuture 02:00, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
i propose to merge this article with the Chelydra stub, in effect making this an entry on the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina, the only extant member of its genus). the Alligator Snapping Turtle has its own entry, and so any info here on that species is redundant anyway. if there are no major objections, i'll get underway within the next couple of weeks. (it really needs to be more encyclopedic, anyhoo.) Metanoid 05:15, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
No objection here! MFuture 23:21, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
whoever added the notes on subspecies, thx! my 'net cnxn has been down for nearly a week. Metanoid 17:10, 3 January 2007 (UTC) its all bulshit — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.237.185.7 ( talk) 19:37, 21 September 2011 (UTC)
please reference the tutles ability of amputate digits
I have found that anyone studying these creatures (e.g. Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario Canada) will tell you the amputation of digits tales are myths. They can break skin but not much more. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.78.127.33 ( talk) 15:35, 2 July 2009 (UTC)
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator I have taken in quite a few injured adult common snapping turtles. I've demonstrated on several occasions, using an appropriate sized stick, the crushing strength in the bite of these animals. This, combined with the slicing edges of the mouth can easily do sufficient damage to a finger or toe to completely destroy if not sever it. CharmsDad ( talk) 09:31, 23 April 2010 (UTC)
The claim that C.serp. can sever fingers in one bite is not supported to my knowledge (I am a grad student working on STs - have handled hundreds). Most (even large males) cannot break a pencil. I have seen (and know of other instances) bites from large STs - lacerations occurred but no serious injuries. No doubt injuries might occur in severe bite but severed digits extremely unlikely. Matt Keevil ( talk) 17:49, 17 October 2010 (UTC)
I've worked with turtles, including this species, for decades and I've seen snapping turtles crush sticks as large as a finger. While complete amputation may not happen at the time of the bite, sufficient damage may be done to cause loss of that digit. CharmsDad ( talk) 18:06, 4 October 2012 (UTC)
I think this section needs to be verified. I've heard of snappers living over a century. Recently, a documentary said they were finding snappers with musketballs in their shells from the Civil War. -- VegitaU 05:01, 29 July 2007 (UTC)
anyone want to start on the "In captivity" section? i'd like to keep it, having briefly cared for a snapper myself; but it really needs to be better cited than it is at present. Metanoid ( talk, email) 02:06, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
me again. pretty good (!!well-referenced!!) pieces on chelydrids (esp. Chelydra)at darren naish's Tet Zoo blog. here's some links if anyone would like to check 'em out:
http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/02/they-bite-they-grow-to-huge-sizes-they.html http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/02/snapping-turtles-part-ii.html http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/05/snapping-turtles-part-iii-bite-lunge.html
Metanoid ( talk, email) 02:10, 25 December 2007 (UTC)
The method described for lifting is appropriate for the alligator snapper but not the common snapper. These turtles can pull their heads in far enough and their necks are flexible enough that grabbing the shell behind the head is a guarantee of being bitten. The proper way to lift the common snapping turtle is by grabbing the shell with both hands above and slightly forward of the back legs. Curling your hands in far enough will prevent the claws of the rear feet from being able to push your hands off. If the animal's shell is fractured lifting by the shell is usually not appropriate. In such cases a sheet or blanket can be used to to lift the animal safely. Avoid netting since it tends to tangle and catch in claws and be difficult to remove. CharmsDad ( talk) 09:47, 23 April 2010 (UTC)
One of the external pages referenced at the end of this article (www.chelydra.org) has a description, with pictures, of the proper way to handle Common Snapping Turtles at http://www.chelydra.org/snapping_turtle_handling.html. In my experience, that site is a reliable source for information about turtles which is both accurate and responsible. CharmsDad ( talk) 17:12, 3 June 2010 (UTC)
This species has not been assessed, and therefore the RL status in the taxobox should not say "VU". It is the Central American species/subspecies C. rossignoni ( http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/63660/summ) that is listed as Vulnerable. Will R Turner ( talk) 11:35, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
Last summer I purchased a home with about a 1 acre 15 foot deep pond, here in middle Tennessee. The previous owners and I both have been removing common snappers by either live trap and release or shooting. I thinking of adding some fish and am questioning whether to leave the turtles or continue to remove them. Any help or advise would be appreciated.
Also this article about the turtles rarely basking is not all true here. I see the turtles floating all the time in the sun. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.183.120.239 ( talk) 17:38, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
Snapping turtles will take out fish as will some other turtle species (depending on the size and type of fish). While you may be able to trap some, the only way to completely remove the snapping turtles is by draining the pond. Snapping turtles do not generally bask or sit at the top of the water. There are quite a few aquatic turtles native to Tennessee and I suspect you have other species present in your pond. It is quite common to have multiple species in any aquatic environment. CharmsDad ( talk) 09:55, 23 April 2010 (UTC)
they come back every year or every 5 months — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.179.210.253 ( talk) 15:45, 23 June 2013 (UTC)
the common snaper will eat almost anything and loves: grass hopers(with there legs off), turtle pelets,lettus,fish flakes,raw beef,cooked eggs,cut leches,minos and green apple —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.149.144.109 ( talk) 23:40, 15 October 2009 (UTC)
This section ends with a warning not to engage a snapper and drag it around while it bites on a stick. Might be good advice but has nothing to do with captivity. Couldn't find anywhere else it should go. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 6StringJazzer ( talk • contribs) 03:18, 27 August 2010 (UTC)
User [Agamemnus] has removed the picture Image:GreatBlueHeroneatingturtle08.jpg from the gallery at the bottom with the justification for the removal being that it has nothing to do with anatomy. I disagree with that argument and have reinstated the image. There is a lot more to Snapping Turtles than just their anatomy, including their ecological interactions. I think that the picture is interesting and helps to illustrate the high predation rate experienced by hatchling turtles which is a key force shaping their entire life history strategy. [Agamemnus], please feel free to discuss this issue here. Matt Keevil ( talk) 07:26, 22 December 2010 (UTC)
There hasn't been any subspecies for a while. The
South American snapping turtle and
Central American snapping turtle are now separate species. See: Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14).
"Turtles of the world, 2010 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs. 5: 000.xx. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2010-12-15.{{
cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Regards,
SunCreator (
talk) 00:35, 24 January 2011 (UTC)
I saw a turtle identical to some of the pictures here in a Koi pond at the Sierra College campus in Grass Valley, California. It was at the bottom, and was apparently disturbed enough by the commotion in the fairly shallow pond to surface. It then proceeded to feed on the Koi pellets, then submerged again. Are they documented as having appeared in California? Or is it more likely someone had him as a pet and dumped him in when he got too big (his shell was at least a foot in diameter)? More importantly, does this raise any local concerns other than a decrease in the pond's goldfish population? Logan Felipe ( talk) 02:50, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
The range map is incorrect, and does not match the verbal description of the snapper's range. See [1] 24.155.186.36 ( talk) 15:18, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
The range map is still very wrong. According to the [1]IUCN, they occur deep into southern Texas. Jobediah ( talk) 08:11, 10 June 2014 (UTC)
Range map remains incorrect. These turtles are present in central Texas, in not-insignificant numbers. 130.164.62.138 ( talk) 15:19, 26 June 2017 (UTC)Internet Rando
Not to pile on, but snapping turtles are very common in North-Central and East Texas. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.115.155.57 ( talk) 22:12, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
Of course I rely largely on the pet's owner for his observations... and although it must be released for hibernation in the winter, it can be a pet, and the owner said that his snapping turtle (then 21 years old) was docile enough to be presented to children and to residents of nursing homes (where I met it). He considers his turtle arguably more tame than the typical dog (who often has some traces of wildness as individuality). It is affectionate, but no more obedient than a cat.
The owner keeps the turtle's sharp claws sheathed as they cannot be safely trimmed as on dogs and can do about as much damage as dog claws. (Dog claws are dangerous!) He also discourages people from putting fingers near the mouth as "Snappy" might confuse them with the bluegills that he relishes. Cold-blooded and hibernating for nearly half the year, it does not need as much food as a cat or dog. The owner says that the turtle should not be fed red meat which is too rich for its diet (fish, frogs, small rodents, and large insects are appropriate).
The shell feels much like wood (the turtle, I am told, can feel through the shell) and the skin feels like leather -- my observation, terribly imprecise, but likely verifiable.
Its medical care is expensive, as it needs a reptile specialist (who apparently treats snakes and lizards).
I do not have the owner's name and will not expose where he or the turtle lives aside from saying somewhere in the Great Lakes region of the US.
It can be a pet, but it is not an easy animal to keep. Pbrower2a ( talk) 04:50, 30 October 2014 (UTC)
(1) an animal with a similar ecological role to a dog (near-apex predator, apex predator in some locations) and long lifespan is likely to have some individuality. This said, whether a snapping turtle hibernates or not may be a matter of the local climate -- more likely in a place with real winters (like northern Indiana, where 'Snappy' lives) than in Florida, where winters are mild and food is readily available (besides, Florida has a predator that snappers must be alert to -- the alligator). In northern Indiana the only predator that an adult snapper has cause to fear is humans. The only other large predator that an adult snapper could face in northern Indiana is a dog, which is not going to crack its shell.
Because seasons are somewhat delayed in the Great Lakes region, the hibernation time in northern Indiana would be November through March.
(2) Dogs obviously do not have the life expectancy of snapping turtles (I have never known of a dog as old as 'Snappy'), and as common as dogs are they are targets for every imaginable parasite. Dogs are also more likely to get into some accident with cars, barbed-wire fences, poisons, and firearms. Fearless as dogs are they are more likely to meet an animal that can hurt them such as a porcupine, skunk, or goose -- or get kicked by horses or cattle, or get a venomous snake bite. But canine veterinary care is much better known than is turtle care.
(3) The turtle's owner did not tell me that the turtle needed to take its food into water to eat... but as with a dog, I would expect a snapper to defend with the same method with which it subdues prey -- its fearsome bite. Predators are generally good defenders.(If I describe a dog as a nasty predator -- it is. It is just better behaved than animals with similar build, such as bears and Big Cats).
If I had to choose whether a dog was more likely to bite than a snapper -- the dog is more likely to have a situation in which it will bite, as in protecting a creature for which it has some affection -- human, canine, or even feline.
(4) on claws -- we have cats, dogs, and snappers mentioned. Cats are far more likely to scratch because human reflexes are much slower than those of cats. But cat scratches are more superficial because cat claws are smaller, if sharper. Dog claws are really dangerous because of their size and the force behind them. Although it is easier to evade a dog scratch, dogs can deliver inadvertent scratches that prove deeper and longer than those of cats, and the laceration is more vulnerable to infection. Dog scratches practically demand medical care. A turtle may have sharp, large claws, but the turtle's reflexes are far slower than those of a cat or dog. Snappy's owner is far more likely to see a physician for a dog scratch than for a turtle scratch.
The question of trimming the turtle's claws relates to the lesser knowledge that people have of turtle physiology. Dogs and cats are the animals that veterinarians best know (horses are third), but snappers are rare pets. Trimming a dog's formidable claws is easy enough for a groomer to handle. There are no turtle 'groomers'.
I would never do anything to compel a snapper to think itself in danger from me and thus having to use its mouth and claws against me. I say the same of a dog, which is potentially more lethal to a person who does something incredibly stupid. Pbrower2a ( talk) 03:25, 17 January 2019 (UTC)
Range map for the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is incorrect. Chelydra serpentina's natural range covers all of Louisiana and much of Texas, yet the range map on Wikipedia does not reflect this. Chelydra serpentina are very common in these areas not reflected on Wiki's current range map. Can someone please correct this? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.229.153.202 ( talk) 14:35, 6 May 2015 (UTC)
yes, they are because they r obese turtles 198.188.61.251 ( talk) 16:46, 17 March 2023 (UTC)