Type of Shell: Hard shell that is serrated on the rear. Has an additional set of scutes (supramarginal scutes) between the traditional costal and marginal scutes on the lateral side of its shell.

This species is found in the South-central states, from the Florida Panhandle to East Texas and North along the Mississippi river to just a little North from where Iowa and Illinois meet.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle is named in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad jacob Temminck (1778-1858), who was the director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden (many fish, reptiles, birds and mammals were also named in his honor).

This is a fairly well studied species, there is a monograph about it by Peter C.H. Pritchard. Many people have heard about its tongue modified to be a lure for its prey. This giant turtle has also gotten media attention in magazines such as Ranger Rick and National Geographic; mainly because of its unique appearance and its powerful jaws. It is also has been used as characters in cartoons and video games; such as Tokka in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and Bowser in Mario video game series.

Like most aquatic turtles, they are predominately carnivores during their younger years, but as they mature they become more omnivores. Their diet includes fish, turtles, amphibians, invertebrates, molluscs, carrion, small mammals, and aquatic plants.

Historically, snapping turtles were described to rarely leave the water, except when the females deposit their eggs, but recent data suggests that both sexes will emerge to bask.

Breeding starts in February in the Southern parts of their range and later in the spring in the northern parts. Females began nest building around two months after that and can lay clutches from 10 to 50 eggs. Eggs will catch 100 to 150 days after being laid, with the young emerging in the early fall.

Like South American Mata Mata turtles and East African Pancake tortoises; Alligator Snapping turtles are the extremes in turtle diversity.

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