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Eastern Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina serpentina
Description
A big, powerful turtle with a massive head and a long saw-toothed tail, at home in nearly any Indiana water. Calm underwater but quick to defend itself on land.
Stats
Size
Carapace 8 - 14 inches
Status
Common
Similar Species
Alligator Snapping Turtle, which is larger with three tall ridges and a more beaklike head.
Diet
Omnivorous - fish, invertebrates, carrion, aquatic plants, and small vertebrates.
Habitat
Almost any permanent water - ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes with soft bottoms.
Reproduction
Lays 20-40 round eggs in a flask-shaped nest in early summer, often well away from water.
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina serpentina
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