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This is a Snapping Turtle, his real name is Chelydra Serpentina, but you can call him Bob. Right now Bob is 20 years old, but he can live up to 40 years! Bob is a large turtle and has a mass of about 12 kilograms, and he is 35 centimeters in length. Bob has a large head, muscular limbs and claws, with a long neck and tail. His shell is dark brown, but it can look green because of the alga that grows on it. Bob’s body is a yellowish colour but can be brown or black.  His body is so big that he cannot fit into his shell.

Bob can be mean sometimes and will lunge out and bite with his powerful jaws and beak- but only when he is out of the water. When he is on land he cannot hide in his shell or move very fast because he is simply too big, so he has to be aggressive to survive. He is happiest in the water and is calm and nice. If people approach him he will just swim away.

Bob has a big appetite, even though he has no teeth! He likes to eat yummy fish, birds, aquatic plants, snakes, insects, frogs, and small mammals.

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Bob’s family lives from southern Alberta to Nova Scotia and from the Gulf of Mexico to Texas. They live in fresh water with lots of mud and vegetation for them to hide in and eat. Bob is important to his home because he makes sure that the fish, amphibian, insect, and reptile population do not take over the pond! (By eating them!!)

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Life is not always so easy for Bob. Sometimes he has to bury himself in the mud to sneak up on his food. His mom laid him in his egg on a sandy shore close to the water so that he could quickly get into the water before he could be eaten by a crazy crow, or a stinky skunk.

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Reproductive Characteristics (Bob’s in Love!)

Bob can be lonely in his pond so sometimes he and his girlfriend, Belle have babies. They mate between April and November. Bob’s girlfriend can lay up to 83 eggs in a sandy hole… before she returns to the waters. In little more than nine to eighteen weeks later, little snapping turtles crawl out of their eggs and into the pond without any help from their mommy.

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Bob's life started 20 years ago when Bob hatched out of the egg along with his brothers and sisters. Life was tough for Bob from the moment he broke out of his shell; he had to dodge other large turtles, great blue herons, crows, raccoons, skunks and foxes just to reach the water. There, poor, vulnerable Bob had to brave bullfrogs, water snakes and big fish such as the largemouth bass. After a few years, Bob was ready- he was NOT to be bossed and bullied around any longer! Somewhere along the way, he met Belle, the Snapping Turtle of his dreams. (It was love at first snap.) He and Belle have had quite a few hatchlings now who will grow up, mate, and have more hatchlings. (A snapping turtle can never have “too many” hatchlings as some are eaten or die before they reach maturity at the age of 18.) With luck, Bob and Belle will be proud grandparents. When the time comes, Bob will go to turtle heaven and possibly meet his mommy and daddy there.

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Bob’s happy that you wanted to know all about him, but it’s been a long, long day and he feels sleepy. Bob will sleep in his pond now. Goodnight!

References

1) Bosch, A. 2003. "Chelydra serpentina" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 3, 2005 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Chelydra_serpentina.html.

2) Ducey, Peter. "Turtle Key." Cortland Herpetology Connection. State University of New York College at Cortland. 5 Oct. 2005 .

3) "Snapping Turtle." Enchanted Learning. 5 Oct. 2005

.

4) "Chelydra serpentina." Rickert's Garden. 21 Dec. 2001. 7 Oct. 2005 .

5) Collins, J.t. "Chelydra serpentina serpentina." ITIS Report. 1990. 7 Oct. 2005 .

6) Sullivan, John, “Index by Scientific Name” Available Online: www.wildherps.com/indexes/sciIndexA-C.html

7) Unknown Author, “Snapping Turtle” Available online: www.nature.ca/notebook/english/snapper.htm

8) Unknown Author, “Snapping Turtle” Available Online: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/turtles/snap.htm

9)Unknown Author, “PA Reptile Family Tree” Available Online: http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/anglerboater/ja02angler/repliletree.pdf

10) Unknown Author, “Snapping Turtles” Wikipeda encyclopedia Available Online: http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki.chelydridae

Learning Information

Page Learning Information

• ToL Learner Level:
  • Beginner
• Target Grade/Age Level:
  • All Grade/Age levels.
• Additional Treehouse Type:
  • Investigation

Portfolio Learning Information

• ToL Learner Level:
  • Beginner; Intermediate
• Target Grade/Age Level:
  • All Grade/Age levels.
• Additional Treehouse Type:
  • Art and Culture;
  • Fun and Games;
  • Investigation;
  • Story
• Comments
  • These treehouses provide fun and educational ways to learn about many different organisms. There are many stories that incorporate information about organisms in a way that is widely accessible to learners, and many stories include comprehension questions. The games and arts and crafts activities are geared toward learning about the organism featured in the page. Some of the students state that their treehouses are meant to be learning materials for students in grades 5-8.

About This Page

Author: turtle1
Classroom Project: Turtle
Havergal College
Toronto, Ontario Canada

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to , Havergal College

Page copyright © 2005 turtle1