Radhani Kapoor
Student
The Snapping Turtle, also called Chelydra serpentina, lives in southern USA and parts of Canada. It lives in slow and shallow moving waters with muddy bottoms and lots of plants to hide in or at the edges of big lakes. The turtle is an omnivore, and it eats mostly insects, fish, birds, small mammals, and aquatic plants. Snapping turtles are eight to eighteen inches long and have tan, dark brown or black shells. They weigh between 10 to 35 pounds, and have sharp teeth and claws. Unlike other turtles, snapping turtles have relatively small plastrons, protective shells under the turtles, which mean that the turtles cannot tuck into their shells to hide from predators. Luckily, once grown, the turtles do not have many predators, and their aggressive nature makes up for their lack of protective covering. When newly hatched, these turtles are eaten by other mature turtles, birds, snakes, and mammals, causing many of the turtles to be eaten or killed while young.Â