No Tiny Turtle

In a deep muddy pool of an old river channel lies an alligator snapping turtle. The largest freshwater turtle in the world waits patiently for its next meal. When a fish swims by, the turtle opens its mouth. To the unsuspecting fish, the strange tip at the end of the turtle’s tongue looks like a worm. The fish swims closer to check it out and snap! The turtle quickly clamps down on its fish dinner.

Like all turtles, the alligator snapper has no teeth. Its jaws are covered with a sharp-edged beak. The lower jaw fits inside the upper jaw. And just like scissors, the jaws quickly slice the fish into bite-sized chunks as the turtle opens and closes its mouth.

It takes more than a few fish to fill up one of these turtles. Adult alligator snapping turtles usually weigh between 35 to 150 pounds, and their shells are 15 to 26 inches long. The record in Missouri is 316 pounds.

Turtles this size should be easy to spot, but they are rarely seen. These aquatic hard-shelled turtles spend most of their time in the deep muddy pools of large rivers, sloughs and oxbow lakes in the southern and southeastern part of the state. They also can be found in river channels that flow into reservoirs.

Alligator snappers prefer to hang out in deep holes with root snags for protection.

They come up to the surface to breathe, but usually just the nose pokes out of the water. Then they go back underwater to find food and a place to hide. Female alligator snapping turtles spend more time out of the water. They travel across land in May and June to look for loose soil in which to lay their eggs.

One place alligator snapping turtles are seen is at the end of fishing hooks. Limb lines, trotlines and other fishing lines that aren’t attached to poles often catch turtles, especially if fish are used for bait. Because they are so rare, it is illegal to kill alligator snapping turtles in Missouri. If one of these protected turtles is caught on a trotline, it must be released unharmed. That is why it is important to follow the rules and check limb lines and trotlines every day.

Because alligator snapping turtles only like one type of habitat—deep muddy pools—in a small portion of the state, changes in and around the water where they live quickly affect them. Cutting down trees along rivers, water pollution and stream channelization are among the reasons alligator snapping turtle populations are declining in Missouri.

Snapping Turtle Identification

Text and photos by Jeff Briggler

Alligator snapping turtles are often mistaken for the much smaller common snapping

turtles because they both have similar shaped heads and shells. However, there are many differences between them in size and habitat.

Common snapping turtles are much easier to observe in the wild. They are the most abundant turtle in the eastern half of the United States. They are found in farm ponds, streams, rivers, swamps and lakes throughout Missouri. Because common snapping turtles are so common, there is a season for them throughout the year. Many people like to eat common snapping turtles, although it is a lot of work to remove the shells.

To be sure the turtle you catch is legal to take, learn how to tell the difference between Missouri’s rare alligator snapping turtle and the abundant common snapping turtle.

Remember: Unless you are in the areas where alligator snapping turtles live, you will probably only see common snapping turtles.