Discover The Largest Snapping Turtle Ever Recorded

Snapping turtles are one of the oldest types of turtle around, having been around for approximately 200 million years – even during the time of the dinosaurs! The species also has a lifespan of more than 100 years.  These fascinating reptiles spend most of their time in freshwater ponds, streams, and rivers and can grow to almost 3 feet long while reaching weights of well over 150 pounds.

But just how big can snapping turtles get?  We’ll discover the largest snapping turtle ever recorded and see how they compare against other turtles!

The Background on Snapping Turtles

Snapping turtles are large freshwater turtles that are unable to withdraw their head and legs fully into their shells, and so have extremely powerful jaws that they use to defend themselves with by snapping, hence their name.  However, despite their somewhat fearsome name, they’re not particularly dangerous to humans and prefer to retreat unless they feel threatened.

These fascinating turtles are excellent swimmers and are found mainly in freshwater locations across North America .  However, there is another smaller population – the Bellinger River snapping turtle – which is endemic to the Bellinger River in Australia .

There are two main types of snapping turtle – the common snapping turtle, and the alligator snapping turtle which is the larger of the two.  Common snapping turtles average 8 to 14 inches long and usually weigh between 10 and 35 pounds, while alligator snapping turtles are usually between 13 and 32 inches long and weigh anything from 19 to 176 pounds.

Common snapping turtles are best known for their extremely mobile head and neck which is often described as being snake-like, hence their scientific name – Chelydra serpentina – after their serpent-like characteristics.  As their name suggests, alligator snapping turtles got their name because they have a similar appearance to an alligator , with the ridges on their shells being described as being similar to the ridges on an alligator.

Possibly one of the most fascinating things about common snapping turtles is that during harsh winters they don’t breathe for six months while the water is covered by ice.  Instead of breathing the traditional way, they breathe using something called extra-pulmonary respiration.  This is where they receive oxygen by pushing their heads out of the mud so that gas exchange can take place through the membranes of their mouth and throat.   Although they don’t hibernate in the traditional sense, snapping turtles exist in a “sleepy state” during this period.  During this time they use very little energy and shut down all parts of their body that aren’t needed.

The Largest Snapping Turtle Ever Recorded

The largest snapping turtle ever officially recorded was a 16 year old alligator snapping turtle that weighed in at a massive 249 pounds.  This massive turtle was weighed at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago in 1999 prior to being sent to the Tennessee Aquarium on breeding loan. It is no longer in Tennessee, however; it’s current snapping turtle weighs only 165 pounds.

However, there are reports of an even bigger alligator snapping turtle found in Kansas in 1937.  Although it was never officially recorded, its weight was rumored to be a whopping 403 pounds!

Where is the Shedd Aquarium on a Map?

Chicago is, of course, a major metropolitan area in Illinois on the west bank of Lake Michigan. The Shedd Aquarium is in the heart of the city on the Lake Michigan shoreline, right next to the world-famous Field Museum of Natural History, one of the largest such museums anywhere and known for its many research initiatives. The Shedd Aquarium is a state-of-the-art indoor aquarium showcasing a variety of habitats and providing amazing views of Lake Michigan.

How do Snapping Turtles Compare with other Turtles?

Compared to other freshwater turtles , the average length of snapping turtles is only slightly smaller than the largest, the Yangtze giant softshell turtle which can grow to length of around 39 inches.  However, at around 220 pounds they do weigh more than the average alligator snapping turtle.

Despite being an impressive size for a freshwater turtle, snapping turtles are still much smaller than sea turtles , with leatherback turtles averaging 1,500 pounds and the largest sea turtle ever recorded weighing a massive 2,019 pounds!

Were Ancient Snapping Turtles Even Bigger?

Although not a lot is known about extinct species of snapping turtles, it is quite easy to assume that they were much bigger than the snapping turtles that are around today.  The largest extinct turtle is the Archelon which was a sea turtle that reached an impressive length of 12 feet and lived between 66 and 83 million years ago.

However, the second largest was the Stupendemys which was a large freshwater turtle that reached 11 feet long and lived in what is now South America between 5 and 10 million years ago.  It is believed that, like the alligator snapping turtle, Stupendemys ate a mixture of plants and animals and lived at the bottom of freshwater rivers and lakes.

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