Alligator Snapping Turtle
From Freepedia
| Alligator Snapping Turtle Conservation status: Vulnerable | ||||||||||||||
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| Image:Alligator snapping turtle.jpg | ||||||||||||||
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| Macroclemys temminckii (Harlan, 1835) |
The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) is a larger yet less aggressive relative of the common snapping turtle. It is characterized by a large, heavy head and a thick tail with a dorsal ridge of large scales which gives it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. The inside of the turtle's mouth is camouflaged and it possesses a vermiform appendage on the tip of its tongue with which it lures fish.
Like the common snapping turtle, the alligator snapping turtle lives in a largely aquatic environment. Its natural diet consists primarily of small fish and amphibians.
Although some people have raised alligator snapping turtles as pets, keeping them in a bathtub or children's wading pool, this practice cannot be recommended. The alligator snapping turtle's aggressive temperament makes handling it dangerous, particularly to children, household pets, and to those with little caution. A small specimen can be picked up from the rear half of the shell, while a larger specimen should only be picked up by the tail at arms length (a very experienced person may lift by the rear edge of the shell). Caution, however, is required as all four legs have sharp claws and larger turtles can reach their head to the front half of the shell. Furthermore, removing alligator snapping turtles from the wild damages the ecosystems from which they are taken, and is illegal in many jurisdictions.
