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The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest living freshwater turtles in the world. [4] It is the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America. [5]
Macrochelys is a genus of very large freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae, native to the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Only a single extant species was recognized until 2014, when a study divided it into two or possibly three species. [3] These turtles are easily recognized by three distinct dorsal ridges with raised spikes.
It is one of only two known species in the genus Macrochelys, the other being the far more widespread alligator snapping turtle (M. temminckii); a third, the Apalachicola snapping turtle (M. apalachicolae), which was described alongside M. suwanniensis, is not thought to be distinct from M. temminckii and has been synonymized with it.
The turtle’s shell is made of bone – or more accurately bones. At least 50 bones make up the shell, which consists of the domed carapace at the top, and a flatter plastron covering the belly ...
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, Chelydra and Macrochelys. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are Acherontemys, Chelydrops, Chelydropsis, Emarginachelys, Macrocephalochelys, Planiplastron, and Protochelydra.
The turtle shell is a shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles (the order Testudines), completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle and in some cases even the head. [1] It is constructed of modified bony elements such as the ribs, parts of the pelvis and other bones found in most reptiles.
The turtle uses its paws like a bear for hunting and slicing food, while biting it. Despite this, a common snapping turtle cannot use its claws for either attacking (its legs have no speed or strength in "swiping" motions) or eating (no opposable thumbs), but only as aids for digging and gripping. Veterinary care is best left to a reptile ...
The Apalachicola snapping turtle (Macrochelys apalachicolae) is a proposed species that lives in the Apalachicola River, United States. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The proposed species can as well be found within other panhandle rivers within the states of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.