Alligator snapping turtle
Macrochelys temminckii (Troost, 1835)
ENEndangeredturtles and tortoises
The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Chelydridae and the order Testudines. It falls in the large size class, with a representative adult body mass of 42.15 kg and reported values from 23.5 to 78.9 kg.
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Quick facts about the alligator snapping turtle
It lays 1 clutch per year of 24.75 eggs, which incubate for 84 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 11 years. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.
- Weight
- 23.5 kg – 78.9 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 58.8 years – 70.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 84 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 24.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 11 years – 12 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the alligator snapping turtle
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the alligator snapping turtle live?
Not recorded
What is the alligator snapping turtle?
The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. They are the largest freshwater turtle in North America. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest living freshwater turtles in the world. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
From the Wikipedia article “Alligator snapping turtle” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alligator_snapping_turtle&oldid=1380110252), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the alligator snapping turtle endangered?
The alligator snapping turtle is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the alligator snapping turtle classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderTestudines
- familyChelydridae
- genusMacrochelys
- SpeciesMacrochelys temminckii (Troost, 1835)
Synonyms Chelonura temminckii, Gypochelys lacertina, Macrochelys apalachicolae, Macrochelys auffenbergi, Macroclemys temminckii, Testudo planitia
Other names and names in other languages (25)
- Alligator snapperEnglish
- Apalachicola alligator snapping turtleEnglish
- Including the Apalachicola alligator snapping turtleEnglish
- Swamp ChomperEnglish
- Western alligator snapping turtleEnglish
- سلحفاة القاطور النهاشةArabic
- tartuga caimánAsturian
- kajmanka supíCzech
- GeierschildkröteGerman
- Tortuga mordelonaSpanish
- Tortue-alligatorFrench
- Tortue alligator (La)French
- keselyűteknősHungarian
- ワニガメJapanese
- 악어거북Korean
- AlligatorschildpadDutch
- De Alligator bijtschildpadDutch
- skorpucha sępiaPolish
- Грифовая ЧерепахаRussian
- Kajmanka supiaSlovak
- alligatorsnappsköldpaddaSwedish
- เต่าอัลลิเกเตอร์Thai
- Черепаха грифоваUkrainian
- 大鱷龜Chinese
- 真鱷龜Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the alligator snapping turtle
Other species in the same genus Macrochelys.
CompareAlligator snapping turtle vs Suwannee snapping turtleAlligator snapping turtle vs Macrochelys maxhoseriAlligator snapping turtle vs Macrochelys muscati
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
How heavy is the alligator snapping turtle?
Its representative adult body mass is 42.15 kg, with reported values from 23.5 to 78.9 kg.
Is the alligator snapping turtle endangered?
Yes. It is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.
How long does the alligator snapping turtle live?
Its lifespan is given as 58.8 years, with values up to 70.3 years reported.
What kind of animal is the alligator snapping turtle?
It is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, in the family Chelydridae of the order Testudines.
How many eggs does the alligator snapping turtle lay?
It lays 24.75 eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year, and the eggs incubate for 84 days.
When does the alligator snapping turtle reach maturity?
It reaches sexual maturity at 11 years, with values up to 12 years reported.
Who named the alligator snapping turtle?
Its scientific name, Macrochelys temminckii, is attributed to (Troost, 1835).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/alligator-snapping-turtle
“Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/alligator-snapping-turtle.
@misc{alligator_snapping_turtle_2026,
title = {Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/alligator-snapping-turtle},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}