Females on average have a home range of 878.3m +/- 298.4m, while males on average have a home range of 481.4m +/- 227.7m. (2006) found that Oklahoma populations of alligator snapping turtles have an average linear home range of 777.8m. For example, they chose deeper water during midwinter and shallower water in the early summer months. ![]() The study also suggested that turtles thermoregulate using differing stream depths seasonally. ![]() (2006) in Oklahoma radio-tagged adult turtles, and found that they prefer areas with submerged cover (logs, overhanging shrubs, occasional beaver dens) combined with high percentage of overhead canopy. ( Ernst, et al., 1994)Ī study by Riedle et al. ![]() They are so motionless under water that algae can cover their backs and make the turtles almost invisible to fish. These turtles stay submerged for 40 to 50 minutes at a time and only go to the surface for air. They are solitary and there is little social structure and no parental care. ( "The Alligator Snapping Turtle", 2007)Īlligator snapping turtles spend most of their time in the water, generally only nesting females venture on land. Alligator snapping turtles can live a very long time in captivity the oldest known individual in captivity was 70 years old. Females live from 15 to 37 years with an average of 23 years. Males live from 11 to 45 years with an average age of 26 years. Juvenile turtles are independent upon hatching. Once females dig a nest and lay eggs (9 to 52 per clutch), they invest no additional resources. Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 11 to 13 yearsīesides the act of mating, males invest no additional time or energy towards parenting.Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 11 to 13 years.Breeding season These turtles mate in early spring in Florida and late spring in the Mississippi Valley.Breeding interval Alligator snapping turtles breed once yearly.gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).Sexual maturity is reached by both sexes at 11 to 13 years of age. A clutch may contain 8 to 52 eggs and incubation takes 100 to 140 days. All nests are dug in the sand and clutch success is highly variable. They lay eggs in a nest about two months later in a nest hole dug approximately 50 m from a body of water. These turtles mate in early spring in Florida and late spring in the Mississippi Valley. It is unlikely that females reproduce more than once a year, some females lay eggs on an alternate-year basis. He grasps her shell with all four feet to inseminate. ( Ernst, et al., 1994 Pritchard, 1979)ĭuring mating, male alligator snapping turtles mount the back of the female. All other temperatures allow both to develop.Įggs are fertile if they have a clear subgerminal space or if a chalky white spot is on the eggshell. Warm temperatures of 29 to 30 degrees Celsius produce 100% females, while slightly lower temperatures (25 to 27 degrees Celsius) yield predominantly males. Sex is determined by incubation temperature. Range length 79 to 101 cm 31.10 to 39.76 inĪlligator snapping turtle hatchlings look very similar to adults.Alligator snapping turtles are primitive in appearance. They have powerful jaws, large heads, and are unique among snapping turtles for having eyes on the side of their heads. They are characterized by three large, pronounced ridges that run from the front to the back of their carapace. ( Ernst, et al., 1994)Īlligator snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles in the world. Hatchlings and juveniles usually live in smaller streams. They generally live in the deepest water within their habitat: large rivers, canals, lakes, swamps, and rivers. ( Minton Jr., 2001 Minton Jr., 2001 Conant, et al., 1992 Ernst, et al., 1994)Īlligator snapping turtles live in freshwater areas in the southeastern United States. All stable populations are found around larger bodies of water such as the Mississippi River. They are also found as far north as Illinois and Kansas. Macrochelys temminckii is found from northern Florida to southern Georgia and through the Gulf states into Texas.
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