wat is an snnapping turtle?

Answer 1

Take a look for yourself.

Answer 2

The Common Snapping Turtle is an aggressive, freshwater turtle usually found in ponds, streams, and canals. It spends most of its life in the water. These nocturnal turtles live in eastern North America. Snapping turtles are so fearless that they have been known to attack people. Snapping turtles have an average life span of about 30-40 years.

Anatomy: The Common Snapping Turtle has powerful jaws, a sharp beak, and no teeth. It has a long tail, and each webbed foot has five clawed toes. This turtle, like all turtles, has no vocal cords and can only make hissing and grunting sounds. It grows to be up to 18.5 inches (47 cm) long and weighs up to about 85 pounds (38.5 kg). Male snapping turtles are larger than the females. The color of the shell ranges from brown to olive green to black to tan. The color of its skin also varies and can be gray, brown, yellow, tan, or black.

Diet: Snapping Turtles are omnivores; they eat plants, small fish, frogs, insects, snakes, and even dead animals that they find.

Jules, Australia.

Answer 3

There are two families of snapping turtles, Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), which has a Floridian and Mexican sub-species.

They are prehistoric looking with a long tail and reminscent of their dinosaur cousins. They have changed very little over the millions of years. They are an amazing creature and one of my favourite turtles. They are powerful and gentle, if you know to care for them. They are not good pets b/c they require huge ponds and great filters. When taken out iof the water, they will often snap in anger.

The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world and it can reach over 150lbs. It has points on the back shell (carapace) and a little red appendage used as a lure for fish on its tongue.

Picture of Crunch the largest alligator snapping turtle:
http://www.crunchinfo.com/

More pics of ally snappers:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Alligator_Snapping_Turtles_-_Macrochelys_temminckii/index.html

Common snapping turtles can be found in Eastern North Amerca from Canada to Mexico. They are large turtle reaching 18" in shell length.

Pics of common snappers:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Common_Snapping_Turtles_-_Chelydra_serpentina/index.html

Common snapping turtles are actually very docile in the water and never bites at humans if you are wading in the water. They are not ferocious, but would rather hide away. The only reason they snap is if they feel threatened. Most of the time, they cannot get close to you and their strikes are often into the air and do not make contact. They never go on land, except to lay eggs. They will occasionally bask on a log of rock in spring. When you see one walking, leave it alone, it is a female trying to lay eggs and she does not like to be disturbed.

Contrary to popular belief common snappers actually eat a lot of vegetaion in the wild (30% or more) and scavenge for carion (dead animals). They often feed on snails, crayfish, insects and anything else small. They are not highly successful hunters, but when the opportunity does arise, it may be able to surprise a fish and ducklings.

I have kept many common snapping turtles, and hatched out a few clutches of eggs from raided nests. Raccoons, skunks and other mammals love to eat their eggs. They often get run over by cars and cruel, ignorant people think they are dangerous and torture it with sticks and rocks.

I have kept both alligator and common snapping turtles, they are beautiful and do not deserve their bad reputation. More dogs have harmed people that snapping turtles. Respect them and they won't be aggressive.

Answer 4

In the U.S. there are 2 varieties, one is an alligator snapper, the other the common snapper. Both are mean as could be, the alligator snapper has more horns and protrusions, and uses it's tongue as a lure to attract fish. They can weigh up to 250 pounds in rare cases. The only way to safely handle one is by its hind legs, do not pick up by the tail, you can damage the spine. They inhabit most of the United States east of the Rockies, and are more common in the gulf coast states.
One time I moved one off the road the size of a trash can lid near Broken Bow, Nebraska on Highway 2, and he chased me back to my car.
My dad is a professor of biology at a local college, and had an alligator snapper in the back yard when I was a kid. I was teasing him with an old garden hose and he bit the end and pinched it shut. It also almost broke a broom handle in two.
Guys.... don't skinny dip around these things either... no joke! Fingers aren't the only things they bite off.

Answer 5

A huge vicious predatory-and-monstrous turtle that live in Florida with huge,extremely sharp jaw that used to ambush it prey and destroy them with dreadful way.I hear their claws are contain venom that can paralyzed their prey like fishes,small frog,small amphibians,reptiles,mammals,anything can fit in their mouth.They have strange tongue that used to lure their preys into their killer jaw.My friend have one-his brother is bited when feed that snapper.It must be so frightfully bite that I hope never I feel.

Answer 6

Snapping turtles mainly live in murky water with a worm-like tongue taht they used to lure fish and other creatures to thier mouths and chomp on them, or a human finger if you're not careful. they can reach giant sizes.

Answer 7

a type of turtle

Answer 8

a big ugly turtle that snaps

Answer 9

a big ugly turtle that is as big as an car tire, has a hooked beak on its mouth and it hisses and can bite your finger clean off.

Answer 10

a snaping turtle is a scary turtal that hurts you and there mean but its mostly there defense but there still big meanies tht hurt extreamily bad when it gets ya

Answer 11

idk what a snnapping turtle is, but a snapping turtle is a type of turtle that is known for, well, snapping. Careful, they CAN take a finger off.