Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)
LCLeast Concernturtles and tortoises
The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Chelydridae in the order Testudines. It is a medium-sized turtle with a representative adult body mass of 4.5 kg, and our sources report adult weights from 3.9 to 5.2 kg.
Quick facts about the common snapping turtle
Its main foods are amphibia, aquatic plant, bird, carrion, fish, invertebrate, mammal and reptile. It produces 1 clutch per year with 26 eggs per clutch, the eggs incubate for 77.5 days, and the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 3.88 kg – 5.17 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 39.9 years – 47 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- amphibia, aquatic plant, bird, carrion, fish, invertebrate and 2 moresrc for Main food
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 77.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 26.5 – 32src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 6 years – 16 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the common snapping turtle
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common snapping turtle live?
Not recorded
What is the common snapping turtle?
The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia, and Florida. The present-day C. serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande suggests that the common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the 17th century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles (genus Macrochelys) are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.
The common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water, with its powerful, beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet serpentina, meaning "snake-like"). In water, it is likely to flee and hide underwater in sediment. The common snapping turtle has a life-history strategy characterized by high and variable mortality of embryos and hatchlings, delayed sexual maturity, extended adult longevity, and iteroparity (repeated reproductive events) with low reproductive success per reproductive event.
Females, and presumably also males, in more northern populations mature later (at 15–20 years) and at a larger size than in more southern populations (about 12 years). Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years.
From the Wikipedia article “Common snapping turtle” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_snapping_turtle&oldid=1378386686), 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 common snapping turtle endangered?
The common snapping turtle is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- 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 Least Concern species.
How is the common snapping turtle classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderTestudines
- familyChelydridae
- genusChelydra
- SpeciesChelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Chelydra emarginata, Chelydra lacertina, Chelydra laticarinata, Chelydra laticarinatat, Chelydra osceola, Chelydra sculpta, Chelydra serpentina osceola, Chelydra serpentina serpentina, Devisia mythodes, Testudo longicauda, Testudo serpentaria, Testudo serpentina
Other names and names in other languages (58)
- Common snapperEnglish
- Eastern snapping turtleEnglish
- North American snapping turtleEnglish
- North American snapping turtleEnglish
- SnapperEnglish
- Snapping turtleEnglish
- Snapping turtleEnglish
- GaperbekskilpadAfrikaans
- سلحفاة نهاشةArabic
- سلحفاة نهاشة شائعةArabic
- سلحفاة أمريكا الشمالية النهاشةArabic
- Кайманова костенуркаBulgarian
- Chelydra serpentinaCatalan
- ᏌᎵᎫᎩCherokee
- He'óonéma'ënoCheyenne
- kajmanka draváCzech
- SnapskildpaddeDanish
- SchnappschildkröteGerman
- Amerikanische SchnappschildkröteGerman
- Nordamerikanische SchnappschildkröteGerman
- Κοινή Χελώνα-αλιγάτοραςGreek
- SerpentotestudoEsperanto
- Tortuga LagartoSpanish
- Tortuga lagarto norteñaSpanish
- Tortuga mordedoraSpanish
- Tortuga-lagarto comúnSpanish
- KaimankilpkonnEstonian
- NäykkijäkilpikonnaFinnish
- Tortue happeuseFrench
- chélydre serpentineFrench
- Tortue hargneuseFrench
- Tortue serpentineFrench
- Nasrtljiva kornjačaCroatian
- aligátorteknősHungarian
- Tartaruga azzannatriceItalian
- Testuggine azzannatriceItalian
- カミツキガメJapanese
- ホクベイカミツキガメJapanese
- 늑대거북Korean
- Kaimaninis vėžlysLithuanian
- KvcvcvwvMuscogee
- BijtschildpadDutch
- BijtchelydraDutch
- MikinaakOjibwa
- Żółw jaszczurowatyPolish
- Skorpucha jaszczurowataPolish
- چک مار کھچوپڑاWestern Panjabi
- Tartaruga-mordedoraPortuguese
- Каймановая черепахаRussian
- Кусающаяся черепахаRussian
- Ganyáhdë:hSeneca
- hlastavkaSlovenian
- хватајућа корњачаSerbian
- snappsköldpaddaSwedish
- เต่าสแนปปิ้งธรรมดาThai
- Кайманова черепахаUkrainian
- Черепаха каймановаUkrainian
- 擬鱷龜Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common snapping turtle
Other species in the same genus Chelydra.
CompareCommon snapping turtle vs Yucatán snapping turtleCommon snapping turtle vs South American snapping turtleCommon snapping turtle vs Chelydra haydnmcphiei
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common snapping turtle?
The common snapping turtle is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, placed in the family Chelydridae and the order Testudines.
How heavy is the common snapping turtle?
Its representative adult body mass is 4.5 kg, with our sources reporting adult weights from 3.9 to 5.2 kg.
What does the common snapping turtle eat?
Its main foods are amphibia, aquatic plant, bird, carrion, fish, invertebrate, mammal and reptile.
Is the common snapping turtle endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the common snapping turtle live?
Its lifespan is 40 years, and our sources report values up to 47 years.
How many eggs does the common snapping turtle lay?
It lays 26 eggs per clutch, with up to 32 reported, and produces 1 clutch per year; the eggs incubate for 77.5 days.
When does the common snapping turtle reach sexual maturity?
It reaches sexual maturity at 9 years, with our sources reporting from 6 to 16 years.
Who named the common snapping turtle?
Its scientific name, Chelydra serpentina, carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
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).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-snapping-turtle
“Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-snapping-turtle.
@misc{common_snapping_turtle_2026,
title = {Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-snapping-turtle},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}