Where’s Wildlife · Turtle Field Guide
Chelydra serpentina
Pronounced (approx.): KEL-ih-druh ser-pen-TEE-nuh
A powerful aquatic turtle with a large head, a long ridged tail and a small lower shell.
Common Snapping Turtle. Select the photo to browse the gallery. Photographs © Where’s Wildlife.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Sizes refer to upper-shell length; age, sex and location affect size.
Large head and thick, powerful limbs
Long tail with a row of raised scales
Small lower shell leaves much of the body exposed
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
Look for the long tail, bulky head and relatively small underside shell. Shell ridges are often stronger in young turtles and less pronounced in older animals; algae may obscure the surface.
Alligator Snapping Turtles have much stronger shell ridges and extra scutes along the shell sides. Common Snapping Turtles usually have a less sharply sculpted adult shell. Use several features rather than size alone.
Ponds, lakes, marshes and slow waterways with soft bottoms. Adults feed on aquatic animals, carrion and plant material. Often concealed underwater; sometimes basks.
Much of its life is spent underwater, searching for food or waiting near the bottom. Females dig nests on land. Turtles encountered away from water may be nesting or moving between water bodies, rather than lost.
The small plastron cannot enclose the entire animal.
A coating of algae can make shell markings difficult to see.
Its varied menu includes scavenged food and vegetation.
Widespread in eastern and central North America, including the Great Lakes region. In Illinois it occurs statewide in suitable aquatic habitats.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.
Photographs © Where’s Wildlife.