• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Turtle Guardians

  • SHOP
  • DONATE

Mobile Menu

  • About Us
    • Why Save Turtles?
    • Who Are Turtle Guardians?
    • What Do Turtle Guardians Do?
      • Level 1: Turtle ID & Turtle Camp
      • Level 2: Wetland Monitoring & Turtle Nest Protection
      • Level 3: Road Research, Turtle Tunnels & Conservation
      • Level 4 & 5: Science Permits
      • Become a Turtle Guardian
    • Our Partners & Supporters
    • Turtle Guardian Program Evaluation
    • The Land Between: Ontario’s Turtle Country
    • Contact Us
  • Turtle Conservation
    • Why Turtles Matter
    • So you found a turtle…
    • Watching for Turtles
    • Turtle Nesting
    • Helping Hatchlings
    • 10 Ways to Help Turtles
    • Helping a Turtle Across the Road
    • Deliberate Harm to Turtles & Habitats
    • Snapping Turtles & Your Lake
    • Helping Turtles Around Your Property
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • Turtle Recovery Campaign
      • T5 Campaign
  • Learning Resources
    • Turtle Facts
    • Turtle Identification
      • Parts of a Turtle
      • Blanding’s Turtle
      • Map Turtle
      • Painted Turtle
      • Snapping Turtle
      • Spiny Softshell Turtle
      • Spotted Turtle
      • Stinkpot Turtle/Musk Turtle
      • Wood Turtle
    • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Habitats
      • Lakes & Rivers
      • Ponds & Marshes
      • Swamps & Carrs
      • Bogs & Fens
    • School Curriculums
      • Turtle Guardians Curricula Videos
      • Intermediate (Grades 7-8)
      • Junior (Grades 4-6)
      • Primary (K-3) Grades
      • The Turtle Stories Platform
    • Scientific Research
    • Reducing Road Mortality
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Turtle Guardian
      • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Crossing Guards
    • Road Researchers
    • Nest Sitters
    • Wetland Watchers
    • Turtle Tunnel Assessors
  • Other Ways You Can Help
    • Donate
    • Shop
    • Report A Sighting
      • Volunteer Reporting Forms
      • Public Sighting Report Form
      • Record of Elders
      • iNaturalist
  • Member login
  •  
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • SHOP
  • DONATE
  • About Us
    • Why Save Turtles?
    • Who Are Turtle Guardians?
    • What Do Turtle Guardians Do?
      • Level 1: Turtle ID & Turtle Camp
      • Level 2: Wetland Monitoring & Turtle Nest Protection
      • Level 3: Road Research, Turtle Tunnels & Conservation
      • Level 4 & 5: Science Permits
      • Become a Turtle Guardian
    • Our Partners & Supporters
    • Turtle Guardian Program Evaluation
    • The Land Between: Ontario’s Turtle Country
    • Contact Us
  • Turtle Conservation
    • Why Turtles Matter
    • So you found a turtle…
    • Watching for Turtles
    • Turtle Nesting
    • Helping Hatchlings
    • 10 Ways to Help Turtles
    • Helping a Turtle Across the Road
    • Deliberate Harm to Turtles & Habitats
    • Snapping Turtles & Your Lake
    • Helping Turtles Around Your Property
    • Reducing Road Mortality
    • Turtle Recovery Campaign
      • T5 Campaign
  • Learning Resources
    • Turtle Facts
    • Turtle Identification
      • Parts of a Turtle
      • Blanding’s Turtle
      • Map Turtle
      • Painted Turtle
      • Snapping Turtle
      • Spiny Softshell Turtle
      • Spotted Turtle
      • Stinkpot Turtle/Musk Turtle
      • Wood Turtle
    • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Habitats
      • Lakes & Rivers
      • Ponds & Marshes
      • Swamps & Carrs
      • Bogs & Fens
    • School Curriculums
      • Turtle Guardians Curricula Videos
      • Intermediate (Grades 7-8)
      • Junior (Grades 4-6)
      • Primary (K-3) Grades
      • The Turtle Stories Platform
    • Scientific Research
    • Reducing Road Mortality
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Turtle Guardian
      • Turtle ID Quiz
    • Turtle Crossing Guards
    • Road Researchers
    • Nest Sitters
    • Wetland Watchers
    • Turtle Tunnel Assessors
  • Other Ways You Can Help
    • Donate
    • Shop
    • Report A Sighting
      • Volunteer Reporting Forms
      • Public Sighting Report Form
      • Record of Elders
      • iNaturalist
  • Member login
  •  

Snapping Turtle

One of the worlds oldest species! The Snapping turtle was found in the exact same form as it is today in the Cretaceous period, 50 Million years ago. It can be considered a living dinosaur.

Note that Snapping turtles are top predators in the water and can be surprisingly gentle when in water- they are more interested in eating dead fish and smelly things than a large live human. Human's have swam with them in lakes for hundreds of years. Also their bite force is surprisingly weak- many large ones cannot even break a large carrot in half. For more information on their behaviour visit our page: Snapping turtles and your lake

371

I.D. Features:

  • Rough brown-olive to dark green carapace (upper shell)
  • Largest Turtle-unmistakable features- large thick legs and toes with sharp claws
  • This is the only turtle with a very small plastron (under-shell) so they cannot pull their legs and arms in to hide- thus the snapping on land to protect themselves

    Painted turtle plastron on the left. Snapping turtle on the right. Copyright. Christina Davy
  • Pointed jaw-tooth
  • Rough ridges on tail and carapace

snapping
Status: Special Concern
Photo: Adopt-a-pond, Toronto Zoo

  • Very tolerant of many diverse habitats from lakes, to ponds and marshes
  • Prefers dead decaying fish and amphibians
  • Will eat live small fish, snails, and mussels

Range:

Snapping turtles are prolific and found throughout most of southern and central Ontario, and extending northwards too.

Search

Site Navigation

  • Home
  • About
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • How to Help Turtles
  • Learning Resources
  • Contact

Our Partners

Join Us at Turtle Stories

Contact Turtle Guardians by calling 705-457-1222 or texting 705-854-2888

Copyright © 2023 Turtle Guardians · Email Us · Privacy Policy

Site Development by TechnicalitiesPlus Inc.

 

Loading Comments...