Common Snapping Turtle: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Crocodiles and Big Reptiles · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Snapping turtles are built to last. Records from a park in Canada suggest some may live past 100 years.
2. Up north, ice can trap it for over six months without a breath. It takes in oxygen from the water through the lining of its mouth and throat.
3. Babies are noisy before they even come out. Still buried in the nest, hatchlings make clicking sounds, and sometimes a little creak.
4. It looks fierce on land, but in the water it is shy. When a swimmer comes near, it usually slips away or hides in mud or grass.
5. In 2006 it became the official reptile of New York State. It was picked by the state's primary school children.

The quiz

1. Data from Canada suggest a snapping turtle may live to what age?

• About 2 years
• About 6 years
• Over 100 years (correct)
• About 9 years

Long-term records from Algonquin Park suggest a maximum age over 100 years.

2. How does it get oxygen when trapped under ice?

• It pokes its nose through the ice every day
• Through the lining of its mouth and throat (correct)
• Through gills like a fish
• From air stored inside its shell

Oxygen from the water passes in through the soft lining of its mouth and throat.

3. What do hatchlings do before leaving the nest?

• Make clicking sounds (correct)
• Dig a tunnel straight to the water
• Change colour to match the sand
• Call to their father

Hatchlings make mostly clicking noises before they come out.

4. What does a snapping turtle usually do when a swimmer comes near?

• Chases the swimmer
• Leaps out of the water
• Calls other turtles for help
• Slips quietly away (correct)

In the water it usually avoids trouble and hides.

5. Who chose it as New York's state reptile?

• Fishermen
• Primary school children (correct)
• Zoo keepers
• Scientists in Canada

Pupils from New York's public primary schools picked it.

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